The Sentinel
by Robshi
Summary: Kildea discovers a way that she could restore the Cleyran tree. When she follows this chance, it eventually leads to a climatic battle between two of Gaia's fiercest eidolons.
1. The Holy Spirit

It had been a year since the events of the Mist wars had taken place. Gaia was at peace; people were rebuilding their homes and repairing the damage that Brahne and Kuja had done. Slowly but surely the great cities of the Mist Continent were being restored to their former glory...Except for one.

Kildea was one of the very few lucky survivors who had escaped from Cleyra before it was annihilated. After her escape, she had fled to Lindblum before travelling with a group of researchers to the great library of Duagerreo. She spent the rest of the year reading some of the many millions of books contained within the library.

Ever since her escape, Kildea had hoped to restore her home to the way it was before the attack. She had been searching the vast library to find a way to revive the Cleyran tree, or to produce a new tree in a reasonable amount of time. Once she restored the tree, she would persuade a group of Burmecians to help her construct a new Cleyran settlement, and her dream would come true.

Over the year, she hadn't had much luck in finding the information she needed. In fact, she often found herself distracted from her task by some of the other books in the library. She kept promising herself that she would find the book which would help her restore Cleyra and go through with her plan before returning here to continue reading and researching new information in the vast selection of literature. Yet she would always find a book that she just couldn't wait to read, and would always read it all the way through before continuing on her seemingly hopeless task.

After having just over one year after her escape from Cleyra, Kildea was sleeping peacefully on one of the many hammocks in the upper floors of the library provided by the librarians with a book laid in her lap. She stirred from her slumber and looked down to read some more of the book she was indulged in before getting up for some breakfast.

Yet there was something wrong. This wasn't the book she had been reading the night before. This book had a hard, noble blue cover and was decorated with elegant gold and silver patterns. It also looked very old but was well-kept, as there were no marks or damage done to the book.

"Maybe someone thought this book would be helpful or interesting to me but didn't want to wake me." Kildea thought. Curious to find out what the book was, she opened the cover onto the first page.

In large, bold, black and delicately written handwriting placed in the centre of the page read the title: _The Great Holy Spirits of Gaia._ Curious to read on, Kildea turned to the next page, which provided a list of contents in the same elegant black writing:

_Alexander, the Holy Spirit of Alexandria_

_Lindbler, the Holy Spirit of Lindblum_

_Burmece, the Holy Spirit of Burmecia_

_Madain, the Holy Spirit of Madain Sari_

_Anima, the Almighty_

Kildea's eyes flared up with interest. Maybe this was book she had been searching for. Eagerly, she flicked the page to the section which interested her the most. Like every page in the book, it was written in the same neat, black handwriting. However, unlike the majority of books in the library, this book had illustrations. Not just ordinary pictures either, these were expertly drawn pieces of art in full colour.

The page had the title: _"Burmece, the Holy Spirit of Burmecia" _The first page of the section had a massive illustration, featuring an enormous creature which was aqua-blue. The creature looked like a large, muscular Burmecian with large dragon wings spreading from its shoulders and smaller wings emerging from its legs. The creature was floating still in the air in what appeared to be Burmecia. Yet the buildings and even the palace barely reached the top of the lower half of the creature. Kildea stared at the illustration of the mighty eidolon, before turning the page to look at the description the book offered about the creature.

_Burmece is the holy eidolon that is contained in the jewel of Burmecia and he is the Holy Spirit of Burmecia. He is responsible for creating the Burmecian race and watches over the Burmecian realm, protecting his children from any serious threat of extinction. During the time of creating the Burmecian realm it is said he summoned a magical rainstorm over the kingdom so that the Burmecians would have water and that their endurance would be tested and improved. It also helped ward away potential intruders. In times of major danger to the city, it is said the Burmecian King would call forth the powerful eidolon to protect the city from destruction and stop any innocent lives being lost. It is said that Burmece uses holy magic, and can also control the elements of thunder, wind and water._

_It is written that anyone with Burmecian blood can call forth the mighty Burmece. Although they must summon him with pure intentions, if someone tries to summon Burmece to commit acts of hatred or destruction, Burmece will not come forth. Instead a terrible curse shall be unleashed from the jewel and annihilate everything it reaches, including the one who summoned it._

The book went on to dictate legends and myths that supposedly gave more information about the Burmecian eidolon but as Kildea began to read the legends about the enigmatic creature she heard someone call to her from beside her.

"Miss Kildea?" One of the librarians called out to her.

Kildea gave a surprised bounce in her hammock. She was so engrossed in the pages of the book she had not realised what was going on around her. She closed the book frantically and turned to the librarian. "Y-Yes? What is it?"

"There is a Burmecian here to see you." The librarian stated simply. "He would not give his name, but he thinks the book he gave you would help you with your research. He wishes to meet you in front of the sea-serpent statue downstairs."

"Oh yes?" Kildea answered with slight interest as she gave a quick glance at the book in her arm. "I'll go downstairs to meet him in a moment."

The librarian gave a quick nod of acknowledgement and returned to his endless job of sorting out the library. Kildea stood up and took a few steps towards the balcony, not looking at anything in particular. Her mind was too busy circulating through very intriguing thoughts.

"This has to be the book that will aid me in Cleyra's restoration." She thought. "If there is anything that will ensure the restoration of Cleyra it will be the creator of our people. All I need to do is regain possession of Cleyra's jewel, and I can summon Burmece to revive the Cleyran tree. He could even restore our powerful sandstorm to protect it from another attack."

Kildea began to walk round the balcony towards the lift systems which would take her downstairs to meet the man who found the book for her. Her mind was still racing with thoughts.

"Just who is the Burmecian who found this book?" Kildea asked herself. "Where did he find this book? Was it hidden inside this library? How did he find it?"

These questions kept bugging Kildea as she made her way towards the old statue of Leviathan, which produced a magic gem when special stones were inserted into its jaws. In front of the statue stood a male Burmecian, wearing a set of sky blue robes that looked similar to Kildea's attire, except that her robes were a shade of green. He wore a similar looking hat which covered his hair and ears, except once again his was blue whereas Kildea's was green. He looked oddly like a Cleyran, but the colour of his robes suggested differently. He didn't notice Kildea approach as he was too occupied admiring the Leviathan statue.

"Um...excuse me sir." Kildea stuttered from behind the Burmecian. He silently responded by turning to face Kildea, his calm blue eyes looked into hers and a warm smile welcomed her approach. "You asked to see me?"

"You are the Cleyran Oracle Kildea, are you not?" The Burmecian had a fairly deep, heart-warming voice. Kildea felt a sense of peace as his voice flowed through her ears.

"Yes." Kildea replied in an anxious squeak. "Who are you?"

"I am a respected Burmecian Priest." The man answered in the same, calming tone. "I am the messenger of our creator, the tremendous power referred to as "Burmece", "The Holy Spirit of Burmecia" and many other names. I send his message to the citizens of Burmecia to help them through their daily lives."

Kildea gave a nod, replaying the answer through her head. She tried her best not to be succumb by his beautiful voice. "Yes...I see. What is your name?"

"You can refer to me as Father Blaine, although I would prefer it if you called me just Father." Blaine responded in his same, calming tone.

"Okay Father..." Kildea responded in what was now almost a dreamy tone of voice. Father seemed such a natural title for Blaine, she couldn't think of anyone who wouldn't open up to him for his advice.

"I hope that the book I gave you helped you in your research." Blaine said, smiling. "It's one of the oldest books in this library, and it's very hard to find."

"I would think so." Kildea answered with a slight smile of her own. "It gave me a lot of help with my research to restore Cleyra. In fact, I was thinking of leaving this library so I could obtain the jewel to put the books words into practice."

"It seems we think alike." Blaine added. "I believe the Cleyran jewel is currently in Alexandria castle, possessed by Queen Garnet. We could travel together on the next boat out of Duagerreo and travel to Alexandria on the Mist Continent by airship."

"It would be an honour to travel with you." Kildea stated with a wide, proud smile.

"Very well." Blaine acknowledged her with a nod. "You must go and pack your things. The next ship that leaves this library is tomorrow morning. I wish to go and explore some more of this library until the day's end."

"Don't you have things to pack?" Kildea inquired curiously.

"It has not been long since I first arrived." Blaine responded truthfully. "I haven't unpacked anything of much significance. Now go, you must have your belongings ready before you retire for the night. I bid good day to you." After saying that, Blaine proceeded to walk steadily into the centre of the library before finding his way to one of the large sections of books.

"Goodbye..." Kildea said softly as he went. She retraced her steps back up to the higher balcony area where her hammock was. She began putting all her spare clothes and food into her rather small leather travel bag. Kildea didn't have many things to pack; nearly all of her stuff was bought in Lindblum as all her possessions in Cleyra were destroyed along with the tree. That, plus she didn't have much money to begin with.

Once she finished packing her rather light travel bag, Kildea decided to walk along the balcony and think to herself.

"How was Blaine so quick to find that book of Holy Spirits?" Kildea asked herself. "Does he know more about these types of creatures than me? Was one of those 'eidolons' responsible for the annihilation of my home?" Kildea cast a glance down into the main part of the library, where she tried to pick out Blaine and watch him with interest. "His voice is so soothing to me...and he looks so handsome...No! I must stay focused on my task to restore my home! Then I can think about having boyfriends!" She gave a slight sigh as she watched him walk to a different shelf. "Although he really wants to help revive our settlement at Cleyra, perhaps he could be by my side as we organise the reconstruction of the city..." She shook her head once again. "I must clear my mind from this childish crush!" She turned abruptly from the view on the balcony and turned her attention to the stack of books available.

Kildea's attempts to try and clear her mind from her sudden infatuation with Blaine did not succeed. She lay in her hammock that night reading two books entitled "How to charm the man of your dreams" and "Making relationships with your sweetheart" After finishing the chapters talking about first impressions and making him notice you, Kildea placed the books on the floor beside and drifted off soundly to sleep.

* * *

Disclaimer: All characters and locations in this story belong to Square. Blaine and the Holy Spirits (excluding Alexander) belong to me. This is my story, and would form the basis of a sequel for the game if I had my way.

Author's Notes: This is the final part of my fanfiction trilogy and will take the name "The Sentinel" whilst I rename my existing story for a second time. You do not need to have read the previous stories (unlike most sequels and trilogies) as the stories are unrelated except in terms of time. I hope you enjoy what will be the most interesting part of my trilogy, and will introduce brand new characters to the series, which I hope you will love. Enjoy!


	2. Journey to Alexandria

The new Cleyra settlement was almost indistinguishable to the old Cleyra settlement. Practically every building was the same, the water wheel was working in the same way as before. It was as if Brahne had never come at all. Inside this new Cleyra, Kildea was giving a guided tour to a group of Burmecians who were planning on living inside the city.

"This is the observatory, where our citizens used to come to relax. This is where we would observe our protector, the sandstorm, and here we would pray to it." Kildea explained whilst motioning to the window of the observatory. The group of Burmecians looked out at the sky, where the great twisting sandstorm once raged. The dance had not been performed, although Kildea was planning on restoring the sandstorm once the Burmecians had moved in for definite.

"Excuse me..." A small Burmecian child tugged at Kildea's robes. "Can I ask you something?"

"Please hold any questions you have until the end of the tour." Kildea said simply with a little smile. The child frowned, but returned to his mother, who was still admiring the view. Kildea then addressed the group again. "Let us move on."

The followed her to the small windmills in the higher regions of the settlement. Kildea began to explain how the windmills pumped up water from the ground and into the city for them. Once again the child tugged at her robes, desperate to ask his question, but she told him once again to hold the question until the end.

Finally Kildea reached the last stop on the tour, the cathedral. The group of Burmecians stopped outside and admired the large, blue, ceramic building.

"This is the cathedral, where the High Priest used to reside and govern our fair city and bring peace to our souls. May he rest in peace. This is also where the jewel is kept with the harp that will power the sandstorm." Kildea explained. "That concludes the tour. Any questions?" Kildea looked at the small child, who was about to tug her robes a third time.

"I have one!" The child chirped. "Are you going to wake up?"

"What?" Kildea asked, not making sense of the question.

"I said are you going to wake up?" The child repeated, only this time his voice seemed to go deeper.

Kildea felt her body being shaken, and blackness filled her vision. She opened her eyes again to see Blaine shaking her awake. She sat up and Blaine stood back from her hammock.

"Come on! Get up!" Blaine said firmly. "We need to get ready quickly or else the boat will go without us!" He then left her and went downstairs.

Kildea sat up and gave a yawn. That was a pretty peculiar dream, although she had dreamt of Cleyra nearly every day since its destruction. She wondered if that dream had been a vision of the future. Although why would the Burmecians need a tour of Cleyra if they were to be the ones who rebuilt it?

She cast the thought aside and decided to change some of her clothes for her journey. She had been forced to buy clothes from Lindblum to replace those that had been burned to nothing in Brahne's attack on Cleyra. After she had finished dressing herself she went to look for Blaine. He hadn't got far; he was at the bottom of the staircase leading up to the balcony, wearing a rather hefty backpack.

He acknowledged her presence with a nod and motioned to another corridor. "Come on, we need to get going." He stated before leading her through various waterlogged passageways and outside onto a stony path which lead down the back of the mountain the library was built into. The path took them to a small dock at the bottom of the mountain, where a rather large boat was docked. They could see various people getting into the boat having finished their research in the vast library.

The two Burmecians got onto the boat and placed their bags in a rather small wooden storage hold. They sat down in the wooden cabin in the centre of the boat as the last set of passengers got onto the boat. When everyone had got on the boat and settled down, the captain untied the boat from the dock and the small ship sailed out into the sea.

* * *

Alexandria was at peace, the citizens were focused on the task of rebuilding the homes and buildings destroyed by Bahamut and Kuja's mist monsters. Queen Garnet was doing her part to help with this effort, hoping to restore Alexandria and lead it into a brighter future, together with her boyfriend Zidane, who had been reunited with her a few months ago.

After consuming her breakfast, Garnet proceeded to obtain her morning mail from the castle's moogle. As usual she had a sizable pile of letters, consisting of the usual business plans and notes and matters she would have to attend to. After reading and replying to a few of her usual business letters she got to a letter that was sealed with the mark of Burmecia.

Garnet's first thought was that this was a letter from Freya, but she remembered Freya's handwriting and realised that it was different. That, and Freya was not that likely to stick with the formality of addressing her as "Queen Garnet Til Alexandros XVII" Curious, Garnet opened the letter and began to read:

_To Queen Garnet Til Alexandros XVII_

_I hope this letter finds you well. I am Blaine, one of his majesty's royal advisors. I understand that your mother, Queen Brahne Til Alexandros (RIP) took the jewel that resided in Cleyra by means of force. I write this letter to ask that you give us back possession of the jewel, as I believe it may be useful in aiding the restoration of our kingdom. I am making my way to Alexandria in hopes that you may give me the jewel in person. I also hope to resolve any other issues you may have with our city and ensure a peace between our two nations. I hope that you will write back to me to inform me of you decision._

_Yours truly,_

_Blaine_

Garnet folded the letter and put it back into its envelope after reading it. It didn't surprise her that the Burmecians wanted the Cleyran jewel returned. She had already given the Falcon Claw back to Cid and wondered when she would have to give back the Cleyran jewel. She had wanted to give it to Freya after the group's reunion at the play a few months ago, but Freya had been in such a rush to return and help with Burmecia's reconstruction she didn't have the chance.

Taking a small piece of parchment, Garnet began to write her reply.

_To Blaine of Burmecia_

_I would be more than happy to return the jewel of Cleyra to you in person. I am hopeful that Alexandria can restore its peace with Burmecia and I hope this will be a sign of our intentions to your nation. I look forward to your arrival and I will have you escorted to the castle. I wish you the best of luck with the restoration of Burmecia._

_Yours truly,_

_Garnet Til Alexandros XVII_

Garnet folded up the letter and sealed into an envelope addressed to Blaine and passed it to the castle moogle along with all of her other written letters.

* * *

As the boat sailed through the sea towards the Mist Continent, Kildea began to start a conversation with Blaine to pass the time and to get some things clear in her mind.

"Blaine..." She called, and he turned towards her with his ears pricked up. "There's something that has been bothering me. If Burmece does exist and he is supposed to protect the Burmecians, why didn't he do anything when the Burmecian realm was attacked by those demons?"

"Burmece wasn't summoned during the attack." Blaine answered simply. "He is an eidolon; he can only act when he is summoned by another."

"But why did no-one summon him?" Kildea pressed. "Why didn't the high priest call him forth from the jewel when he had the chance?"

"I think that the high priest didn't know of Burmece's existence." Blaine replied. "We may be the only ones on this planet that know all of the legends about the Holy Spirits."

"But how come nobody knew about Burmece?" Kildea retorted. "Why did the Burmecians forget him?"

"Maybe we were frightened of his power." Blaine suggested. "Perhaps we were afraid someone would unleash the dreaded curse within the jewel if they knew about its power. The legend may have not been passed down."

There was a short pause as Kildea took this in. That did seem to be a good explanation. Satisfied with his answer, Kildea decided to ask a different question.

"Do you think that we can really restore Cleyra by calling forth this creature?"

"I'm certain." Blaine stated confidently. "Our motives are pure. He has the power to do it. So why shouldn't it work?"

Kildea didn't say anything in response to this; she just smiled and turned to watch the waves of the sea outside of the cabin window. After watching the sea waves rise and fall for a few moments she decided to turn to Blaine again and start another conversation.

"You now Blaine, seeing as we are going to be travelling together for sometime, don't you think we should learn a bit more about each other?" Kildea asked, her face filled with interest as she looked at his nonchalant expression. "What did you do before Burmecia was attacked?"

"I was one of Burmecia's select few priests. I also acted as an advisor for the King when he needed help governing the city." Blaine replied, his face now gaining an expression of pride. "I counselled the citizens of Burmecia and lived a quiet life in my temple. What about you?"

"I was one of the many priests in Cleyra. I used to meet with them and muse about life outside the tree and try to obtain inner-peace." Kildea replied giving a small smile. "I lived a simple life with my friends in Cleyra. I really miss them..."

"It's alright." Blaine placed a hand on her shoulder as a comforting gesture. "We shall do what they would have wanted. We will rebuild Cleyra in their honour and move on into a better future, but we shall never forget them."

The two continued to talk to each other as their ship sailed across the sea and eventually docked in the port at the Serpent's gate of Lindblum. The two made their way through into the town of Lindblum, where Kildea decided to purchase a few more garments and items whilst Blaine stocked up on supplies and sorted out transport to Alexandria. It was there that he was also found by a moogle who gave him a letter from Queen Garnet, telling him that he was welcomed at the castle to receive the precious jewel.

Blaine was eager to set off for Alexandria that afternoon, and he had found some chocobos for rent. They set off across the plains, passed through South Gate the following day and were arriving in Alexandria the day after. The two Burmecians passed through the city, ignoring the odd looks and cautious glares by the Alexandrians and the female guards.

They walked up to the gate that led into Alexandria castle where they were stopped by two Alexandrian guards. They put their hands to the handles of their blades as a warning.

"Halt! Who goes there?" One the guards asked sternly.

"I am Blaine; I have a letter of invitation from your queen." Blaine answered calmly, waving a letter in front of them.

The guards stood firmly, one of which took the letter from Blaine to check it to see if it was genuine, while the other took a piece of parchment which had a list written onto it.

"This is definitely her majesty's handwriting." The first guard noted.

"His name is also on our guest list." The second guard added. "Very well, you may proceed. There will be some other guards waiting to escort you on the other side of the gate. Your friend can wait here." The guard motioned at Kildea.

"I must insist on her accompanying me into the castle." Blaine retorted.

The guard gave a little growl, but didn't push the issue further and opened the gate with her comrade. Blaine and Kildea proceeded through the gate as got onto a wooden boat with two more guards which began to row the boat towards the Alexandrian castle.

* * *

Disclaimer: All characters and locations in this story belong to Square. Blaine and the Holy Spirits (excluding Alexander) belong to me. This is my story, and would form the basis of a sequel for the game if I had my way.

Author's Notes: Thanks for all of the reviews! This story seems to be more popular than my other working title, which you might want to take a look at. All constructive comments are appreciated.

Guardian 1: The reasons why Burmece didn't act during the attack on Burmecia have been explained a little more in this chapter, and I hope it answers your question. I don't know why you and Gabi-hime are offended by Kildea's infatuation. It was love at first sight; it's a simple as that. I also don't know what your problem is with my description either. It's good to set the scene and describe elements in a story, it's a vital part.

Gabi-hime: As I said to Guardian, I don't know why you are so offended by Kildea's infatuation. It's only a small crush. Gizamaluke is a dragon and not really an eidolon, plus I don't think he has the power to give life. That and he has the handicap of being dead. Just what is wrong with Burmece?

Ultima's Angel: I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Read on.

Dazz Combo: Nice to see you again. I'm happy you're enjoying it. There may be some action later on, but for now everything will be pretty calm.


	3. Return of the Cleyran jewel

"Thank-you for your patience. Her majesty will see you now." One of the guards called out whilst opening the large wooden door to the castles meeting room.

Blaine and Kildea turned to look from their position stood by the window. As Blaine started to make his way towards the door, he was stopped by Kildea who took hold of his arm and pulled him to face her.

"I can't do this..." Kildea stuttered. Panic was beginning to get the better of her; her hands were starting to shake because of nervousness. "I can't face her, not after what Alexandria has done."

"I know how you must feel, but you cannot blame Queen Garnet for her mother's actions." Blaine replied reassuringly. "I'm sure she'll want to apologise for the damage her people have done. Besides, Garnet is a kind and gentle person, you'll probably like her."

Kildea's worried expression faded a little, but she still felt a little uneasy. She walked closely behind Blaine as they made their way to the open wooden door. They were then stopped by the Alexandrian guard just before they could enter the room.

"I trust you will conduct yourselves in an orderly manner in front of her highness?" The guard inquired in a low tone.

"Of course." Blaine said with disdain. His job required him to meet and discuss with royalty. He'd have lost a lot of money if he didn't behave appropriately. To be asked the question the guard had inquired was an insult to him. He had even stated it in his letter, surely the guard knew?

The guard gave a nod and the two Burmecians entered the meeting room. Inside there was a large, square wooden table with several chairs set orderly around it. Stood behind the table was none other than Queen Garnet, dressed in a beautiful white, silk dress with her lovely black hair tied in a ponytail over the back of her dress. Her hand was held by a rather scruffy young male, wearing blue jeans with a monkey tail poking through back and which were held on a belt which was far too big, along with a matching blue top and gloves. A cheeking grin peered at them from under his short blonde hair and sky-blue eyes.

Accompanying them were Garnet's personal guards: Sir Adelbert Steiner, in a complete set of dull, rusty armour and General Beatrix, with her white blouse and brown leggings and deadly beauty. Blaine gave a low bow as he acknowledged the queen's presence, as Kildea gave a little curtsey.

"I am the Burmecian known as Blaine, and this is my associate: Oracle Kildea, one of the precious few survivors of Cleyra's destruction." Blaine introduced them with a formal voice.

"I am Queen Garnet, and this is my boyfriend and husband to be: Zidane Tribal. These are our personal guards: Sir Steiner and Lady Beatrix." Garnet introduced her group, and motioned to each one as she spoke their names.

Kildea recognised Zidane straight away. "I knew it!" She exclaimed. "You're the man I gave the guided tour to in Cleyra shortly before its destruction!"

Zidane gave a little smile as he remembered the Cleyran. "Oh yeah! I remember you! So you were one of the survivors? Did any of your friends make it?"

Kildea's ears flattened against her head and she cast a solemn look to the floor. She was reminded of all of her friend's deaths. Blaine placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to comfort her. Zidane realised his mistake.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Zidane apologised. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Blaine looked up at Zidane rather angrily. "Yes, well. If we could change the subject to something less sensitive and get down to business..."

"Yes, let us discuss about the possession of the jewel." Garnet answered, eager to move the subject to help cheer her guest up. "You mentioned something about the jewel aiding the restoration of your kingdom. Would you care to elaborate on that?"

"Gladly, your majesty." Blaine replied. He took a step away from Kildea, who was beginning to feel slightly better. "We found a book in Duagerreo that told us of a being that resides inside that jewel. This creature is the creator of our race, and is a truly mighty eidolon."

"An eidolon?" Both Garnet and Zidane blurted out. Beatrix and Steiner's eyes both flashed with surprise too.

"Let me finish." Blaine stated in an irritated tone. There was silence once again, and he continued. "I was about to say that we were hoping to use the powers of this eidolon to regenerate Cleyra."

There was a short silence as the Alexandrians in the room took this in. It was Garnet who managed to break the silence by replying. "If you are planning on summoning an eidolon, I could be of some great assistance to you."

Captain Steiner then decided to butt in; he tapped Garnet gently on the shoulder to get her attention. "Your highness, don't you have enough duties to attend to? There is the reconstruction of Alexandria, meetings with..."

Steiner was then interrupted by Garnet, who answered with an irritated tone. "Steiner, I know perfectly well what my duties are at the moment, and my biggest priority is maintaining the peace between Alexandria and the other nations at this time. If I help restore Cleyra it will hopefully make the Burmecians think better of me and Alexandria."

Steiner lowered his head in shame and backed off. Garnet turned towards Blaine and Kildea and gave a warm smile. Blaine decided to state his opinion of her offer.

"I am flattered by your proposal but I am afraid I must decline." Blaine answered kindly. "All we require is the jewel, the book has a few passages on how to summon the Holy Spirit. It also states that it is easiest for a Burmecian to call him forth. Besides, like you Captain says, you have other duties to attend to. Giving us the jewel will make the Burmecians think better of you, and I will not forget to mention your politeness and your obvious intentions to aid the regeneration and reconstruction of the Burmecian realm."

"As you wish." Garnet responded plainly, the smile from her face faded a little, but didn't vanish completely from her face. She wondered how it could be possible for an eidolon to be harder to summon by a summoner than a Burmecian, but then she remembered how easy it had been for her mother Brahne to call forth the powerful eidolons with the aid of Kuja; with neither of them being a pure blooded summoner. She decided to make another offer, one of which she was sure that Blaine would not decline. "Well, if you don't want me to come with you; you could at least let us give you some transport and supplies for your journey."

"We already have some rented chocobos..." Kildea pointed out. "Although it would be very kind of you to provide us with some supplies, my clothes and possessions were destroyed along with Cleyra. You could help me find some garments and items to replace them."

"Why yes, I have many tailors that make up garments for me to wear, and garments that Zidane is _supposed _to wear." Garnet answered merrily; until she talked about Zidane, when her voice changing to a bitter tone. "I could ask them to measure you and make you some sets of spare clothes."

Zidane gave a little grin and shrugged this off. Just because he was Garnet's boyfriend didn't mean he had to dress and act like a stuck-up noble. He hated nobles, in his time with Baku and Tantalus he would often relieve them of any money or highly valued items they carried or owned. Despite Garnet's constant lectures of how he would be joining their class whether he liked it or not when he eventually married her, he still kept his dislike for people and life in the "upper-class". He hoped Kildea would not take up the offer and start wearing the rich fabrics of nobles, but his hoped died when Kildea smiled at the offer. Well, beggars could not be choosers after all, something which he knew all too well.

"That would be very generous of you, your majesty." Kildea responded with a nod.

"We do not plan on staying here for very long." Blaine stated firmly. "I would be glad if we could set off tomorrow, provided you have given us the jewel. I do not want to be doing nothing except waiting for Kildea's new clothes to be made."

"Oh, that will not be a problem." Garnet assured him. "If I ask my tailors to work overnight, they should have at least one set of clothes ready to wear by morning. I could even make some more and have them sent straight to Burmecia when they are finished."

"That will be fine." Blaine answered. "Now seeing as that matter is settled shouldn't we move on to what we originally came here for?"

"Yes, it is about time we returned the jewel of Cleyra." Garnet answered, looking more serious. "Beatrix, I believe I left you in charge of the jewel for the duration of this meeting. Would you care to return the jewel to its rightful owners?"

"Yes your majesty." Beatrix replied. She took a few steps forward and took out the sacred stone from one of the pockets in her white blouse.

"Which one of you will receive the magic stone from Beatrix?" Garnet asked the two Burmecians formally.

The response was made my Blaine, quickly enough so Kildea couldn't say anything. "Oracle Kildea shall retrieve the jewel, your majesty."

Kildea turned to look at Blaine with an expression of shock on her face. She had assumed that Blaine was going to walk up and take the jewel. Why did he want her to take the jewel from Beatrix? The only response she got was an assuring smile and a small hand gesture motioning her forward from Blaine.

A cold shiver ran down Kildea' spine and nerves were taking an effect as she looked back across to the Alexandrians. She walked very slowly forwards towards Beatrix, terrified that she might take her sword and slice her head off at any moment without any warning. The Cleyran's eyes were focused on Beatrix, looking for any spiteful actions. All she saw was a gentle hazel eye trying to encourage her forward, and two gloved hands holding out the beautiful red jewel which had spent hundreds of years keeping Kildea and her friends, relatives and ancestors safe in their home. Kildea's shaking hands reached slowly forward and gripped the jewel in Beatrix's hands, before slowly lifting it out without any resistance whatsoever.

Eager to get back to Blaine and away from this cold-blooded warrior, Kildea stepped back at a faster pace, not taking her eye off Beatrix. As soon as Kildea had taken the jewel out of her grasp; Beatrix reached out and placed her left hand gently on the Burmecian's shoulder. As Beatrix placed her hand on Kildea's shoulder, Kildea nearly dropped the jewel out of sheer fright and wanted to cry out in terror. She remained silent, her body tensing and she was frozen to the spot.

Trying to speak in the most warm and kind voice she could muster, Beatrix addressed the Cleyran. "I just wanted to say how deeply sorry I am for the damage me and my troops have done to Cleyra and the rest of the Burmecian kingdom. I was only acting under orders from my Queen. I hope that this will show my feelings for your people and that we may put the past behind us."

The moment Beatrix lifted her hand from Kildea's shoulder, Kildea darted back to Blaine before thrusting the jewel into his hands and hugging him tightly, clinging onto him for dear life. Kildea's fear of General Beatrix could never be truly vanquished. She had been the one who had lead the attack on the Burmecian Kingdom, Beatrix was the one who took the Cleyran jewel in the first place; which ultimately resulted in Cleyra's destruction. Beatrix held her own responsibility and had been fully aware of her actions at the time. How could Kildea just forgive her?

----

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Final Fantasy 9 and I have never claimed to. Blaine is the only original character I could fully change and use as he is my original character. He has been created by my imagination.

Author's Notes: Can I just point out though that all constructive comments and criticism is welcome; but if I think you are trying to incite flames by abusing the review system you can expect an e-mail from me.

Ultima's Angel: I'm flattered by your positive comment. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the previous one.

Dazz Combo: I'm glad you're enjoying it too. Keep reading.

Aaron: Eiko and Dagger actually used two jewels to summon Alexander in the game; but, Eiko also talks about sealing Eidolons in their jewels with the power of another eidolon. Now, who's to say that Alexander wasn't the only eidolon to have been sealed with the power of another? This is where Burmece, Lindbler and Madain get involved. They are all equal in power when actually summoned. I also believe that Alexander didn't use all of his power when he fought Bahamut, and thathe actually has other abilities which weren't used in the game. Don't feel bad for asking though, I can take it.


	4. Strange Dreams

Kildea knew it had been a mistake. She knew that it was a bad idea to have taken up Queen Garnet's kind offer of spending the night in one of the spare bedrooms in the castle. However, Blaine was the one who had taken up the offer in the first place, and he had told her that they would need to save the little gil they had left. Not wanting to be separated from Blaine in this fearful city, Kildea had given up trying to persuade him to stay at the inn.

Nightmares plagued Kildea's sleep. She dreamt of her friends screaming at her in terror, along with all the Burmecian refugees she had guided round the Cleyran settlement. They were all shrieking and crying in anguish and pain as they were hit with the powerful fire spells of the pointy-headed black demons. She then saw many of the dancers she had known, together with the King of Burmecia and the Cleyran High Priest. They too had expressions of fear all over their faces, with the dancers screaming and running around. Kildea watched in horror as a replay of Cleyra's destruction played through her mind, the dark eidolon warrior reducing her home, family and friends into nothing more than cinders and ash.

The Cleyran Oracle broke down, fell to her knees and began to weep at her loss. Everything had gone; everything she cared about had been destroyed. Yet amongst all the carnage and chaos that had taken place, she could hear laughter. Kildea's tear-stained face looked up and saw the face of Queen Brahne, filled with glee about the damage she had caused. The fat queen did not take any notice of Kildea, and when she calmed down slightly her face just faded away.

Kildea continued to cry, she thought she would never be able to overcome the grief caused by Alexandria's merciless assault on the Cleyran tree. She was then startled when she felt a small hand place itself on her shoulder.

"Why are you crying?" A small voice asked curiously.

Kildea turned to see who had addressed her, and she saw a small Burmecian child looking at her with interest. Not just any child though, Kildea recognised that it was the same child who had appeared in her dream of guiding the new Burmecian settlers around Cleyra. This was the child who had woken her up: the small Burmecian boy with his innocent blue eyes and small tufts of blonde hair that came from under his small green hat.

"Why are you crying?" The child asked again. "There's no need to cry. We can make things better can't we?"

"But...all my friends...my family...they're..." Kildea managed to speak out between sobs, but couldn't finish the sentence.

"It's alright. We can find a way to bring them back." The child tried to reassure her.

Kildea just shook her head in response. "That is impossible. Besides, it is ungodly and selfish."

"Not necessarily." The child said in protest. "Even so, someone else might have survived."

"No, all the survivors from Cleyra grouped together after its destruction." Kildea replied. "Sir Fratley, Prince Puck and a creature called Quina were the only other survivors."

"The how did Zidane Tribal, Freya Crescent and Vivi Ornitier survive?" The child retorted. "Maybe some Cleyrans escaped with them."

"I seriously doubt that is the case." Kildea answered. She had stopped crying, but her sadness still remained.

"Well, you can find out..." The child suggested, coming closer to Kildea. She was a little confused by the child's advance, but did not move. The child placed both of his hands onto Kildea's shoulders. "You can wake up."

The child shook Kildea quite forcefully, and blackness covered Kildea's vision once again. The Cleyran desert faded and her eyes flickered open to see the ceiling of one of the guest rooms in Alexandria castle.

"Miss Kildea, Mister Blaine, it is time to get up." A soldier called out to them from behind the door to the room. The woman did not look into the room, letting the guests keep their privacy, that or she wasn't bothered about ensuring that the pair were up. "Breakfast will be served in the dining room in one hour."

The door to the bedroom closed firmly, and Kildea gave a little sigh before sitting up in her bed. She turned to look at Blaine, who was already sat up and looked wide awake on his single bed. The two quickly dressed themselves and went downstairs to the dining room.

As they entered the dining room they found Garnet sitting down at the end of a large wooden banquet table with General Beatrix sat next to her, the two talking to each other about the day ahead. Breakfast had not yet been served. It seemed that they were waiting for the guards and Zidane to arrive with Steiner, who was busy trying to get the lazy monkey out of his bed.

Garnet noticed the two Burmecians enter the room and turned to motion for them to sit down. Blaine was making his way to sit with the young Queen of Alexandria but Kildea tugged him at his side and tried to persuade him to sit at the other side of the table.

"Why don't you want to sit with Queen Garnet?" Blaine asked, a little curious as to why she was so adamant.

"It's not Queen Garnet, it's just I cannot sit so close to General Beatrix." Kildea replied. "Besides, Zidane will sit at this end of the table. I know him, I can talk with him."

"I understand how you feel, but it will seem rude to sit so far away from our hosts." Blaine replied, trying to be reassuring. "I'll be sitting with you, and I'll keep you secure."

Kildea gave a nod, but did not feel much better. The two took a seat opposite Beatrix on Garnet's left. Kildea sat furthest away from the two Alexandrians. Garnet immediately decided to open up a discussion with the two Burmecians.

"Good morning!" Garnet greeted the pair. "Nice to see you two are up so early."

"You aren't the only early-risers on Gaia, your highness." Blaine replied with a smile.

"My tailors have managed to make two sets of clothes for Oracle Kildea." Garnet said with a satisfied look. "I shall have them brought to her after breakfast. I hope they are to her liking."

"Thank-you your highness. I am sure they will be." Kildea replied, before turning her head away from the Alexandrians again. Evidently she was trying to avoid looking at Beatrix.

The young Alexandrian queen continued her discussion with Beatrix, with Blaine joining into parts of the discussion. Kildea only listened to various bits of the conversation and didn't speak a word. She would not talk to Beatrix, and it would take more than Blaine to persuade her to do so.

After a while, the castle chefs began scuttling into the dining hall carrying various trays and plates filled with foods that smelt divine. They laid out the table and arranged the plates and trays into an intricate pattern which covered the table. However, nobody starting eating as it was rude to begin eating a meal before everyone had arrived. In this case, they were waiting for Zidane and Steiner.

After a few minutes, the dining hall doors opened and Zidane walked in wearing similar clothes to that of yesterday. He looked rather irritated at having such an early wake up call but cheered up at the prospect of breakfast. Steiner followed closely behind, his rusty armour clanking together as he walked. An angry face covered his face and was aimed straight at Zidane, who didn't pay him any attention.

Zidane and Steiner took their seats at the other end of the table and everybody began to help themselves to the various meats, breads and dairy foods. Everybody was grateful for their meal, and breakfast was quickly finished and empty plates and leftovers were taken away.

Once breakfast had finished, Garnet got up to her feet and lead everyone out into one of the castle halls. When everybody had gathered in the hall a finely dressed Alexandrian noble introduced himself and presented Kildea with her two sets of clothes which consisted of some simple green robes similar to the ones Kildea was wearing, only made of a finer material. The second was a dazzling white dress which really suited the Cleyran.

Kildea thanked the noble for her fine garments as well as thanking Garnet a second time for her generosity. She then asked Zidane if she could have a little talk with him in private.

"Yeah, so what is it?" Zidane asked after leading Kildea away from the group in the hall.

"How did you and your friends escape from Cleyra?" Kildea asked in a soft voice.

"Oh, we followed the black mages through the teleport system on the Red Rose." Zidane answered. "Is that it?"

"No, I need to know if any of my friends escaped with you in the same way..." Kildea responded.

Zidane paused a little before his response. "I'm sorry, but we were the only ones who escaped by following the mages."

"I thought as much..." Kildea sighed, her ears flopping down slightly. It didn't surprise her that much. She had already come to terms with the fact that she was the only Cleyran who had made it out of the tree alive.

"I wouldn't worry about it, I'm sure you'll make lots of new friends." Zidane said, trying to cheer her up. "You've already found that Blaine guy right?"

"Yes..." Kildea answered, giving a weak smile. "My only hope right now is that the restoration of Cleyra goes well. So far, a brighter future seems imminent, and everything is going well."

"Yeah, well good luck with the restoration of Cleyra." Zidane said with a smile. "Come on, we'd better get back to the group."

The two returned to the group and Blaine was the first to speak on their return.

"Well, much as I have enjoyed your company, I believe it is time for me and Kildea to continue our journey." Blaine stated.

"Indeed." Garnet responded. "You have a long journey ahead of you."

Everybody made their goodbyes and farewells and the two Burmecians left the castle and crossed the moat before walking through the town to the chocobo stables. Whilst they were walking through the city, Kildea decided to spark up a conversation.

"Blaine, do you know anything about interpreting dreams?" Kildea asked curiously.

"I know a thing or two about it, yes." Blaine answered. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just...I've been having these strange dreams recently." Kildea responded, when she saw the puzzled expression on Blaine's face she continued. "Ever since I met you, the same child keeps appearing in my dreams. Last night, he had a conversation with me. I watched the destruction of Cleyra, and he spoke to me about how some Cleyrans might have been survived and that there may be a way to bring them back to life."

"Interesting..." Blaine said whilst pondering over the meaning of this dream.

"Do you have any idea why this child is always appearing in my dreams?" Kildea questioned.

"It might be that someone is communicating with you in your sleep." Blaine suggested. "But they would need a vast knowledge of how the mind works, and they probably have a lot of magical and mental power. What I don't know is why they would appear as a Burmecian child, no mere child could have that amount of knowledge."

"But who would want to contact me in my sleep?" Kildea pondered.

"I don't know, but I wouldn't worry about it too much." Blaine said in a reassuring tone. "Let us focus on our journey ahead."

They had reached the Alexandrian chocobo stables. Blaine paid the keeper for looking after their chocobos and they mounted the large yellow birds and set off into the mist, beginning their journey to Cleyra...

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or any of its respective characters. Blaine is my own character though.

Author's Notes: I am so sorry for being so late for the updates, I have been on holiday and I haven't had much time to write when I got back. I would have updated War on Burmecia first but I have decided to rewrite the whole of the chapter I am working on. Anyway, enjoy.

Dazz Combo: Half and Half is not part of this trilogy. I was going to make it fit into order but I decided not to concern myself with messing around with plot points of this story just to make it fit. Besides, it's been years since I worked on that story. I'm glad you are enjoying this story though.

Ultima's Angel: It's nice to see you are enjoying it too. Thanks for pointing out that minor error.


	5. The Summoning

After a few days of travel, Kildea and Blaine passed through North Gate and entered the Burmecian realm. They had finally returned to their own territory. The sun was starting to set as the two were passing in front of Burmecia and Blaine suggested that they find somewhere to stay in the rainy city.

Kildea have never been to Burmecia before, she hadn't really been to anywhere other than her birthplace in Cleyra until the attack. Feeling the magical rain fall onto her body was an unusual experience for her. She seemed to find the rain fairly refreshing, but it didn't compare to the dry, sandy winds of her home. It was a little saddening to see the city in ruins, but she was happy to see the Burmecians busy rebuilding their city. It would take some time, but soon Burmecia would rise from the ashes and become a big, bold and proud city once again. The thought made Kildea smile; for she hoped that her home would also rise from the ashes and stand tall once again.

Blaine led Kildea through the city, which he knew like the back of his hand. He waved out to a couple of his friends that they saw in the building groups. They were heading straight for the heart of the city, the Royal Palace of Burmecia. They didn't go all the way into the palace though; the two arrived at a small, subtle cathedral that was stood in front of the palace. Surprisingly, the cathedral was still standing tall, and the building look almost untouched from the outside. Inside, there were burn marks on some of the walls and a few signs that the black mages had been inside the building.

"I guess I was quite lucky, my home was not that badly damaged during the attack." Blaine said. He showed Kildea through the main part of the cathedral, which would be used for services and praying through to the back where there was what you would find in a house. Blaine led Kildea up a set of stairs and opened a door at the end of the wooden corridor, revealing a rather small and cosy bedroom. "This will be your room for tonight."

"Thanks Blaine." Kildea replied gratefully. "So, this is the city of Burmecia, the rainy city I heard many tales of when I was living in Cleyra."

"You didn't exactly choose the best time to come and visit." Blaine replied with a little smirk.

"I suppose not, but seeing all of the Burmecians working hard to restore their home filled me with hope." Kildea mused. "I only hope I can make a similar effort to restore my home..."

"I'm sure that you will, and I will be by your side to witness the rebirth of the city that sits between the earth and the heavens." Blaine said warmly.

Kildea smiled at him, but did not say anything. One of the things she admired about him was his willingness to help her restore Cleyra when she was certain that he would have been equally concerned about reconstructing his birthplace.

"So, just what were some of the stories you heard about Burmecia?" Blaine asked with a curious expression. "I'd like to know how the Cleyrans depicted our city."

"I only heard that Burmecia was a city that had endless rain, thanks to a magic that is similar to the kind that provided the protection of the sandstorm in Cleyra." Kildea explained. "I was also told about the time that Burmecia and Cleyra were one, and how we separated from the Burmecians because they valued the arts of war, where we wished to isolate ourselves and live a peaceful life."

"So you knew very little history about Burmecia concerning the period before the Cleyrans left to settle in the Vube Desert?" Blaine asked looking a little concerned.

"Well, we kept and valued the old traditions of Burmecia that were maintained before we left." Kildea replied. "The Cleyrans knew quite a lot about how life was lead in Burmecia before we left to settle in the great tree."

"Interesting, but I suppose you know nothing about events that have taken place outside Cleyra whilst you were settled in the tree." Blaine mused.

"No, we had to be isolated from the rest of the world to ensure our safety..." Kildea responded. Her ears then fell flat as she was reminded of her friends, and how they had been slaughtered and destroyed so mercilessly. She didn't know why the sandstorm had faded, or what the Cleyrans had deserved to warrant such an attack. The attack on the Burmecian realm was unjustifiable.

"It's alright. We shall put things right." Blaine tried to reassure her. Kildea looked up and gave a little smile. They could not change the past, but they could certainly make a better future for themselves.

The two Burmecians rested themselves up for the final part of their journey. They woke up early in the following morning and Blaine bid his farewells to his friends as he and Kildea set off to Cleyra. With their chocobo mounts, they managed to make good time and arrive at the remains of Cleyra that afternoon.

Returning to the ashes of Cleyra was a very morbid and solemn experience for both Kildea and Blaine. The painful memories returned to Kildea as she recalled the relentless attack on Cleyra by the black mages and the eidolon which had reduced her home, her birthplace, the history of the Cleyrans into nothing. The smell of fire and blood seemed to linger through the air, a harsh reminder as to what had occurred in the great tree city.

A firm, friendly hand placed itself on Kildea's shoulder, and Blaine passed the sacred jewel of Cleyra to Kildea. "I think it's only right if you summon him." Blaine stated. "I know how much this means to you..."

"Thank-you Blaine..."Kildea replied, trying her very best to compose herself. She took a few steps forward towards the ashes of her home.

"Just focus your mind, and use your heart to call forth the eidolon." Blaine told her. "I know you can do it."

Kildea knelt in front of the smoky remains of the Cleyran tree and placed the jewel in the sands ahead of her as she began to pray. She shut off all of the other thoughts in her head and concentrated on her prayer.

"Burmece, the great Holy Spirit of the Burmecian Realm and the creator and guardian of our kind, please answer my call. Come forth and use your magnificent power to restore the tree of Cleyra to its former glory!" Kildea chanted.

Suddenly, the jewel glowed with a bright blue light. The sky darkened as streams of white energy began to pour out of the jewel and swirl past Kildea. The Cleyran was stunned as the light and energy seemed to dance around her. There was a blinding flash and Kildea was knocked back by the energy.

After the energy had stopped flowing and the jewel returned to its normal red hue, Kildea slowly got back onto her feet. Ahead of her, she could still see the ashes of Cleyra, and the desert that lay behind it. No eidolon could be seen in the sands in front of her, nothing had come from the jewel.

Kildea was shocked to see that nothing, and felt that she had done something wrong. She turned towards to Blaine to see what he made of the situation, but as she turned around, she saw something that made her heart skip a beat.

Blaine was no longer there. Instead, there was a massive blue creature towering over the Cleyran, which looked identical to the one that Kildea had seen in the book of Holy Spirits which Blaine had shown her. The figure was a large, muscular Burmecian with large, dragon like wings sprouting from his shoulders and another, smaller set emerging around his legs. The creature was an aqua-blue colour, and Kildea could almost see straight through the majestic eidolon. The sheer size of the spirit was also astonishing. The Holy Spirit was nearly as tall as the Cleyran tree, and Kildea could have quite happily sat in the creature's palm and had enough room to walk around and lie down without touching the eidolon's fingers.

"You have called me forth, Miss Kildea..." The eidolon boomed. The voice was crystal clear, and was filled with courage and intensity. Oddly enough, Kildea could swear she didn't see the creature's lips move, she felt as though she had imagined the words. Yet they had seemed so real...

"Wh-What have you done to Blaine...?" Kildea stammered, her voice beginning to falter in the presence of the titan.

"I _am _Blaine." The creature replied, using the same strong tone. "There are eidolons that can manifest themselves, take on different forms for their own means. I am one of them. I take on the form of a Burmecian to mingle with my children and watch over them. It also helps me to understand your societies and aid you in your daily lives..."

Kildea was taken aback by this new information. Blaine, the Burmecian Priest she had trusted and happily talked to and even admired. He was the power that she sought to restore her home, he was the creator of her race, and a man who wielded incredible power. She couldn't believe it, it was too much...

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I feared you might distance yourself from me if you knew who I was, and I was afraid that someone may have tried to abuse my power if they knew my identity." The eidolon apologised, his large ears falling slightly. "However, to make it up to you, I shall obey your command and make your dream into a reality. You want the return of Cleyra? I shall use my creative power and make it so, for it is also a wish of mine..."

The eidolon began gather its power, and Kildea watched in awe as mist began to gather around the eidolon and condense. Kildea began to feel a little afraid as the ground beneath her began to shake from the power being emitted from the blue guardian. White energy shone out through the mist and the shape of the original tree began to appear gradually. The eidolon was pouring out its power, the white energy flowing from its entire body. The shape of the tree grew brighter, and Kildea had to protect her eyes from the brightness. There was a flash, and once again Kildea was thrown back.

Kildea gave a groan and struggled back up to her feet. Then she looked back up at where Burmece had been floating. Kildea's expression was filled with joy and amazement. She saw the majestic tree of Cleyra standing tall in the sands in front of her. The Burmecian guardian had done it; Burmece had regenerated a tree that would take thousands of years to grow naturally.

"My work here is done." Kildea heard the eidolon's voice, but could not see where the voice was coming from. "I shall dismiss myself, but I will maintain my Burmecian form so I can escort you into Cleyra..."

Floating above the tree of Cleyra, the eidolon glowed a bright white before exploding into many pieces of blue shards and then gathering into a warm, blue stream of energy and flowing down into the jewel which lay still in the sands before Kildea. As the last of the energy went in, a single shard stayed out of the jewel, and hovered in the air before glowing. It flashed, and the form of Blaine reappeared before falling face first into the sands in front of him. Kildea instinctively rushed forward to aid the male Burmecian.

"It's nothing, I'm fine." Blaine said before getting back onto his feet. "I usually feel a little light-headed after doing that...I'll be alright."

"Are you sure?" Kildea enquired.

"Yes, now come on. I'm sure you're eager to explore your home." Blaine answered sharply. He then began walking forwards towards the tree; he looked a little shaky at first but quickly regained his confident stride. Kildea hastily followed him, and the two began the long journey up the Cleyran trunk.

* * *

Disclaimer: No, I do not own FF9 or its respective characters and locations. However, Burmece and Blaine are my own characters and are figments of my imagination, so I can mess with them as much as I wish...

Author's Notes: Dodges brick I'm sorry this update has taken so long! I've had my birthday pass a few weeks back and several things have gone off at once. With any luck the next update for my stories won't take as long. I'll be focusing on War on Burmecia now and trying to finish that before concluding this story...

Dazz Cambo: I'm sorry I got your name wrong. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Lady Freya Crescent: Yay! You've started reading my stories! Try to tell me what you specifically like and dislike in each chapter, and about how events may be different. Keep reading my love...


	6. Rebirth

Kildea was still trying to take it all in as she strode up the newly restored Cleyran trunk with Blaine. They had done it; the Cleyran tree had been restored. Her dream of restoring the city seemed much more hopeful. That, plus she now had to take in the fact that she was walking beside an eidolon, manifested as a Burmecian. She was walking with her god, the creator of her race.

"Kildea, before we arrive in Cleyra I must ask something of you." Blaine said, coming to a halt.

Kildea snapped out of her thoughts and stopped beside him. "What is it?"

"I need you to promise me that you will not tell anyone about my identity." Blaine spoke in a serious tone. "I manifested myself so I could easily fraternise with the Burmecians without them feeling intimidated by my power. That, plus I fear someone might try and abuse my power, which would have terrible consequences."

"Okay..." Kildea answered. "I'll keep quiet..."

"Promise me." Blaine commanded.

"I promise you I will not reveal your identity." Kildea gave her word.

Blaine gave a smile and continued walking up the trunk. There were no monsters in the Cleyran trunk, but then neither of the two were expecting any. The tree had just been restored; no monster would have had time to get far into the tree. After quite a long time of climbing the tree, the two Burmecians reached the highest part of the Cleyran trunk.

Kildea was bracing herself. She thought it would weird to see the tree without the city in place. She also wanted to keep herself composed. The pain of the loss of her home would never truly heal; she had lost so much...

However, as Blaine and Kildea climbed over the last few branches, something quite astonishing was revealed. As Kildea looked at the top of the tree, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped with disbelief.

* * *

The reconstruction of Burmecia had been going well, especially seeing as more Burmecians had returned to the city. Rebuilt homes were starting to emerge, and the city was starting to look a little like its former self.

Walking amongst the newly reconstructed buildings was Sir Fratley, along with his adoptive brother Sir Frato, an arrogant Burmecian-human hybrid with short, scruffy brown hair and stormy blue eyes. Alongside them was Lady Freya, one of the Gaian war heroes. The three of them were making their way to the Burmecian Royal Palace, having being summoned by the young King Puck, who had finally decided to return to Burmecia after the war.

"I wonder what the Royal Brat wants with us..." Frato said curiously as they marched towards the Palace.

"I don't know, but you could show a little more respect for the new King..." Freya reprimanded him.

Frato just snorted in response as they continued walking. The guards at the Palace opened the gates and lead them through the castle to meet with King Puck. The Royal Palace had been one of the first places focused on in the reconstruction, and the castle looked as impressive as ever; although there were one or two places that were still left in rubble.

The three Dragon Knights were lead into one of the castle's meeting rooms that had been refurbished. A long wooden table lay in front of them, with Puck sat at the back of the room at the end of the table.

"Hey guys, what kept ya?" Puck greeted them as they came in. "Hurry up and sit down."

The three Dragon Knights did as they were told and each took a seat nearest to Puck. When they were all sat and comfortable, Puck eagerly started the meeting.

"Okay guys, we all know that the rebuilding of our home has been going very well, and various buildings have been restored quicker than we could have hoped." Puck explained to the group. "However, there is one thing that we should attend to..."

"Making a treaty with Alexandria?" Fratley suggested.

"No...and don't interrupt me." Puck replied irritably. "My advisor has suggested that we should make a memorial statue for Cleyra."

"Oh, that sounds like a good idea." Freya remarked.

"You're not expecting us to make the thing are you?" Frato asked incredulously. "Because I am no sculptor..."

"Don't be stupid!" Puck answered harshly. "I already have some people to work on the memorial statue, but I need to find a way to get the materials for it into the Vube desert. That, plus I need some escorts for the sculptors, the journey to Vube desert isn't just a stroll in the park. I don't want monsters harassing them."

"You're going to build the statue on top of the Cleyran ruins?" Frato asked with a slight scowl. "What's wrong with putting it in Burmecia someplace? Several of us died here too you know."

"I know that!" Puck snapped back at Frato. "I just think it would be better if there was something left in Cleyra's place. I'd feel better that way."

"So would I..." Freya commented, before looking at Fratley. He showed his approval with a weak smile.

"Anyway, I want you three to be the escorts." Puck continued. "I'll order some of the Burmecian guards to accompany you."

"Yes, your majesty." The three Dragon Knights replied.

"Okay, this meeting is over. Move it!" Puck ended the meeting rather informally. He still had a lot to learn about royalty, and the advisors were in for a hard time in teaching him.

The three Dragon Knights left the meeting room and began preparing for their latest journey. The young King had managed to get them a series of chocobo carts to transport the heavy rock and material to Cleyra to make the statue. Freya decided to brief some of the soldiers about their upcoming mission. Fratley talked to the sculptors about the journey and Frato supervised the people carrying the rock that was obtained from the Western mountains.

The following morning saw the Dragon Knights up early for their journey. They left Burmecia in the early hours and made the journey across the plains outside Burmecia towards the desert. Frato decided to look ahead as they travelled along in the carriages; it was his first time out venturing into the Vube desert, or anywhere other than Burmecia and the mountains that surrounded it. There may have been the odd time that he took a post at Gizamaluke's Grotto, but he hadn't really had many adventures out into Gaia. As he admired the view outside of the chocobo carriage, he spotted something peculiar.

"Uh...I heard that the Cleyran tree was destroyed..." Frato said back into the carriage.

"It was." Freya replied simply. A tone of regret entered her voice. "I watched it get destroyed."

"That's what I thought." Frato answered. "So can someone please explain to me why there is a huge tree in the distance, at the area where we are heading?"

Both Freya and Fratley looked at Frato, who nodded towards the horizon. The two Burmecians turned from their discussion and looked at where Frato had been talking about. Just like he said, the gigantic tree of Cleyra stood tall in the distance. Freya and Fratley both looked dumbfounded at the sight.

"This has to be some sort of illusion..." Freya managed to stutter.

* * *

At the top of the newly reformed Cleyran tree, Kildea was looking just as dumbstruck as Freya and Fratley were as she looked at the top of the tree where the Cleyran settlement had stood. The thing was, Kildea hadn't expected to see the Cleyran town completely rebuilt to the way it once was. The eidolon had restored the city as well?

Then another surprise hit her as she looked closely at the paths and stairways in the city. She could see movement. There were actual Cleyrans and Burmecian refugees walking around the city, many with confused looks on their faces. Kildea actually recognised some of her friends as the two walked closer to the sandy city.

"Are you alright?" Blaine inquired as he noticed Kildea's expression on this sight.

"I...don't believe this..." Kildea stuttered. "You restored the city and the lives of everyone who was in it too?"

"You wanted Cleyra to be restored didn't you?" Blaine replied simply. "The city and the people in it make up Cleyra as well, it isn't just the tree."

"I didn't know you had that kind of power..." Kildea answered, still letting the fact sink in. "This worked a lot better than I first imagined..."

"I suppose this must be a shock for you." Blaine said in an emphatic tone. "But it is for the better, isn't it? Besides, we have to compose ourselves. We have a lot of explaining to do."

Kildea nodded, before Blaine led her into the settlement.

* * *

The three Dragon Knights continued to their destination along with the other Burmecians accompanying them. When they reached the Cleyran tree the Burmecians hastily climbed up to find out what was behind the resurrection. As Blaine and Kildea found, there were very little monsters to hassle them and the Dragon Knights easily escorted everyone up the tree safely.

Everyone was taken aback when the group reached the top of the tree and found the entire Cleyran settlement standing in front of them. Many of the Burmecians were speechless.

"I don't understand this..." Freya managed to stammer. "How did this happen? I witnessed this entire town get annihilated."

"We aren't going to figure it out by just standing here staring!" Frato sniped at the group. "Come on! We might find out something in the city."

Frato then marched into the city, and was quickly followed by Freya, Fratley and the rest of the Burmecians. The group found another surprise when they found Cleyran citizens walking around and Burmecian refugees who had been listed as dead. When a Cleyran Oracle welcomed them the Dragon knights nearly jumped out of their skin.

"Are you a ghost?" Frato asked the Cleyran.

"I don't believe so." The Cleyran answered. "My name is Satrea. Oracle Kildea usually welcomes visitors and acts as a tour guide, but she has been busy talking to the High Priest. Strange things have been happening recently."

"What things?" Freya asked. "This town was annihilated by the eidolon warrior Odin. All of the inhabitants were believed to be dead. Just what happened here?"

"I am uncertain my Lady." Satrea replied simply. "It was the most peculiar thing, I can remember the sky becoming black, and I felt immense pain for a short moment." Satrea looked rather uncomfortable as she recalled the event. "Then there was blackness, and all of a sudden I saw this strange, bright blue light and I woke up here."

"A strange blue light?" Freya repeated in a confused tone.

"Oracle Kildea and a Burmecian Oracle Blaine are talking with the High Priest in the cathedral about what happened." Satrea explained. "You may wish to talk with them after they are finished."

"Yes, of course." Freya closed their discussion. "Thank-you for the information."

"You're most welcome!" Satrea replied happily.

"Well, you heard the woman." Frato said to the other two Dragon Knights. "All the answers are in the cathedral. Let's get going!"

The three Dragon Knights decided to let the sculptors and the rest of the group explore the city whilst they made their way to the cathedral. It would be too troublesome having an entire squad of Burmecians in the cathedral, especially when they weren't needed. As the Dragon Knights walked through the city, someone called out to them.

"Freya! Fratley!"

The three Dragon Knights turned to see Dan, and old friend from the Dragon Academy. He was running up to greet them, with his wife and two children walking behind him.

"It's great to see you guys!" Dan exclaimed happily. "Frato, I didn't know you were in Cleyra...I thought you stayed behind in Burmecia..."

"I did." Frato responded simply. "But that was last year. King Puck sent us out to protect a group of Burmecians so they could make a memorial statue for Cleyra."

Dan looked confused, and Freya decided to try and clarify things for him.

"Cleyra was destroyed by the Alexandrians a year ago." Freya explained. "Me and Fratley managed to escape. We then got sent by King Puck to escort some sculptors here and make a memorial statue, but we were shocked to find Cleyra still standing and with all the inhabitants revived."

"Oh, so that's how it is..." Dan said, his mind filling with ideas. "Something weird has been going on. The Cleyrans are all saying it is a blessing from the Gods, and that we have been given a second chance... I was unsure at first, but now I think they may be right."

"It's good to see you alive and well Dan." Fratley said gratefully. "But we must move on. We have to see the Cleyran High Priest and find out exactly what has happened here. We'll talk to you later..."

"Right...Well I'll see you again sometime eh?" Dan said, giving his farewell. "It was good to see you."

The Dragon Knights said goodbye to their long lost friend and continued up to the cathedral. Inside the first room of the cathedral there were two Cleyran Oracles acting as guards.

"We are here to see the High Priest." Freya said firmly to one of the Oracles. "We have to travelled from Burmecia to give a memorial service ad we would like to know what has happened here."

"I am afraid the High Priest is busy at the moment, but I will see what I can do." The Oracle replied in a calm tone. "Please wait here."

The Cleyran entered the main room of the cathedral, leaving the other Cleyran to watch over the knights. The three Dragon Knight waited patiently, although Frato started to tap his foot and his tail started twitching. They were eager to find out what had resurrected the dead city and were waiting for the answers.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy IX or any characters and locations in it. However, Blaine and Frato are my original characters and belong to me.

Author's Notes: Sorry I took so long to update, although I have been busy with other things recently and my sister has been consistently hogging my computer. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and that you will leave a review.


	7. Revelations

The Cleyran Priest returned to the Dragon Knights after a few moments to give out a message.

"The High Priest says he will meet with you now." The Oracle stated calmly. "He claims that you may also have some information about what has happened recently."

The Dragon Knights made an odd look with that statement. They didn't know why the tree had been revived along with all its citizens. They were the ones hoping to gain the information.

"Fair enough, please take us to him." Freya answered, eager to see the High Priest despite the odd claim.

"At once my lady." The Oracle answered and lead them into the main room of the cathedral. Inside the Cleyran High Priest, Blaine and Kildea, one of the shrine maidens and the King of Burmecia were gathered.

The Dragon Knights were surprised to see their King standing in the group, but it did make sense. He had also died in the Alexandrian attack on the tree and seeing as the Burmecian refugees had been brought back to life, logic suggested that he was alive again too.

"Your majesty!" Freya exclaimed, a little shocked to see him again. "You're alive!"

"Indeed I am." The King responded in his royal tone. "Sir Frato? I didn't know you had escaped with us to Cleyra."

"I didn't." Frato stated simply. "The only reason I am here is because I am following orders from King Puck."

The Burmecian King looked a little startled to hear that his son had taken over the throne. He opened his mouth to protest but Blaine decided to interject.

"Perhaps we should explain things a bit more clearly." He suggested, before going on. "Cleyra was destroyed by the Alexandrians during the war and the vast majority of the people in it perished. Only a few survived: Kildea was one of the survivors, she escaped from the tree during the attack."

The King and the High Priest looked a little uncomfortable with this revelation, but they cannot deny that they felt Odin's attack and remember being burned alive. The Dragon Knights weren't bothered about this, Freya and Fratley had witnessed the destruction of Cleyra and Frato had heard about it shortly afterwards.

"After the attack, I went to Duagerreo and researched into finding a way to restore the tree so I could restore our city." Kildea followed on from Blaine. "I read about an eidolon which was the guardian spirit of Burmecia and dwelled within our magic stone which powered the sandstorm. I then went to Alexandria with Blaine and retrieved the jewel before returning here to call the spirit from the jewel. The eidolon managed to revive the tree, but to my surprise it also revived our city and it's inhabitants."

There was a short silence as Kildea finished explaining her story to the group as the information sunk in. The High Priest was the first to break the silence.

"The guardian spirit?" He repeated, before his eyes widened. "Surely you don't mean the Holy Spirit?"

"I thought the Holy Spirit was just a legend..." The King replied.

"How else can we explain what happened?" Freya said, deep in thought. "Although I thought that Phoenix was the only eidolon with the power to restore life."

"This is certainly the work of something with immense power..." The High Priest said with a little shiver.

Freya and Fratley seemed very intrigued by this. They had both witnessed the power of eidolons for themselves in some form, and restoring lives did not see totally unbelievable. Frato seemed a little less sure about this situation.

"I still don't buy this..." Frato said in an uncertain tone. "If there has been a Holy Spirit in the jewel for all this time, why didn't it protect us from being killed by Alexandria's black mages and eidolons in the first place?"

"An eidolon only comes forth to a summoner's call." Blaine said. "The Holy Spirit was sealed in the jewel all that time."

This made Kildea turn to him with a look of confusion. Although Blaine's point was valid, how was he able to appear as a Burmecian and walk freely from the jewel and do as he wished? Did manifesting himself allow him to break free from the jewel?

Frato still didn't look totally convinced, but he couldn't think of a comeback to that argument. He also couldn't think of another reason as to how the city had been restored without an even more ridiculous reason such as it was a ghost town or something.

"Well, I think we should see this as a blessing from the heavens and thank the Holy Spirit for this second chance at life." The High Priest said in a cheery tone. "We could perform a special dance to celebrate and show our gratitude to the heavens!"

"Shouldn't we return to Burmecia and inform Puck about this?" Fratley asked the other two Dragon Knights.

"Since I have been revived, my son is no longer the acting ruler of Burmecia." The King answered firmly. "Although we should return to Burmecia and bring back the refugees. If the war is over then we have the task of the reconstruction to attend to."

"Please stay here for a little while." The High Priest pleaded. "The Dragon Knights must have had a long journey, and it is nearly sunset. You could at least stay the night before returning to Burmecia."

"We may as well." Frato added. "Although we didn't bring enough carts and chocobos to carry all of the refugees back safely, we'll have to send a messenger to Burmecia to get some more transport for us."

"Very well, I shall send a messenger to Burmecia to report what has happened and to get some more chocobos from Burmecia." The King said, deciding the matter.

"Excellent! I shall make the preparations for our dance!" The High Priest replied with delight.

With the meeting and explanations finished, everyone disbanded and went into the settlement to either perform their task or rest up. Kildea reunited with her old friends and talked about what had happened and how she had missed them. Freya and Fratley went and conversed with the Burmecian refugees and told them it was safe to return. Frato told the sculptors and the Burmecians who had travelled from Burmecia what was happening and the change in orders. The King of Burmecia sent off the messenger whilst the High Priest gathered the shrine maidens before the two conversed again in the cathedral.

This just left Blaine, who was standing alone at the observatory point where the citizens observed the sandstorm, which had yet to be restored. He was deep in thought as he looked out onto the Vube desert and the far distance. He wasn't alone for long, as Nina the shrine maiden came to join him in admiring the view.

"Enjoying the view?" Nina enquired.

"Indeed...the Vube desert is quite a sight from up here..." Blaine answered. "You could see Burmecia if it weren't for the mountains."

"I suppose it is a good view, although I miss the soul soothing view of the magical sandstorm that protected us." Nina said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"How could you enjoy such a view?" Blaine asked. "It must have been like admiring the bars of a cage."

"Not at all!" Nina replied with a smile. "I loved to admire the swirling pattern of the sandstorm. I had a feeling of serenity and security in knowing that nothing could harm us and disturb our peace."

"Like a child in its mother's arms." Blaine mused. "Didn't you ever want to see what was out there? Did you ever dream about what could be beyond the sands of Cleyra?"

"The world outside our city is corrupt with hatred and violence." Nina answered simply. "I was happy staying in Cleyra and practising the arts of dance and philosophising about life."

"Did you ever think about changing the world instead of hiding away from it?" Blaine asked.

"We tried to convince the Burmecians to give up the acts of war before we settled in Cleyra in the first place." Nina replied in a slightly irritated tone.

Blaine didn't bother trying to argue with that, he just continued to gaze out into the distance. _Maybe it was a mistake to create the sandstorm in the first place. I know now it is possible for a place without violence and hate to exist, but what good is it if they cannot share their ideas of peace?_

"You know that Gaia is at peace now." Blaine told the maiden, trying to settle things. "You could see the world without fear of malice."

Nina didn't know what to make of this. "Perhaps, but there are still those who hate us for what we are." she pointed out.

Blaine gave a little grin. "Yes, but if you could convince them that humans and Burmecians are one and the same, then you will have already removed one of the main causes of hatred in this world."

Nina couldn't think of any way to argue with that, although she doubted that she could quell many humans racist hatred for the Burmecian race. She just looked out into the distance, and continued to admire the view with the Burmecian Priest.

* * *

The sun soon set and the red light of dusk fell onto Cleyra. The High Priest had gathered many of the shrine maidens in the cathedral in order to perform some of the magical dances of Cleyra. The Burmecian King was stood next to the High Priest, ready to watch the dances for a second time. The three Dragon Knights also stood nearby, ready to watch the event. Freya did not join the dancers this time as they were performing dances that had been devised in Cleyra and that she didn't know how to perform. Frato didn't seem interested in the slightest with the dances, although when he saw the outfits that the dancers were wearing he blushed slightly.

The dances commenced and the Cleyrans began to celebrate their blessing. As this blessing took place, Blaine was still stood in the observatory point. Nina had left to attend the dance, leaving him alone to delve into his thoughts. His ears pricked slightly as he heard a voice.

"Blaine! There you are!" Kildea called out before coming to greet him.

"I thought you'd be at the dance with your friends." Blaine said without turning around.

"I didn't see you there so I came out to find you." Kildea explained. "What have you being doing here all this time?"

"I've been thinking." He replied simply.

"Why didn't you come to watch the dance? It is in your honour!" Kildea asked, sounding a little hurt. "Is something the matter?"

Blaine gave a little sigh. "I sense a bad omen."

Kildea's eyes widened. "A bad omen!"

"Yes...but don't worry. I'll protect you." Blaine said, turning to smile at her. "Now come, we ought to attend the dance at the cathedral."

Kildea still looked a little worried, but decided not to pursue the matter. She lead Blaine away from the observatory towards the cathedral.

_He is coming. I can sense it. _Blaine thought as they walked towards the cathedral. _I will not fail the Cleyrans a second time!_

Inside the cathedral, the Dragon Knights, the King, the High Priest and a few others had gathered to watch the shrine maidens dance to the tune of the harp, which had also been restored and the jewel placed back in its place on the top of it. This dance was different, involving more delicate movements and looked harder to perform than the dance they had done with Freya to strengthen the sandstorm. Freya was watching them and enjoying their display of dancing ability, which was greater than hers merely due to the fact that practising the art of dance much more than she did.

Frato looked a little uncomfortable, seeing as the dancer's clothing was much more revealing then anything he was used to seeing. Fratley was glad that he could see the Cleyran's dance after missing his chance in his last visit, but he had hoped to see Freya dancing. Even though he had seen Freya practising her dancing in Burmecia before.

The High Priest and the King looked on as the dance came to an end. The High Priest smiled as he spoke. "Excellent! I'm sure the Holy Spir-"

"My Lord! The jewel!" A shrine maiden exclaimed, interrupting the High Priest as she pointed at the jewel.

Everyone turned to look, and they saw it glowing with an eerie red hue. Pulsing with light as it stood above the harp.

"By the gods..." The High Priest exclaimed. "Could this be...? Is the spirit about to appear before us?"

Outside the cathedral, Blaine's ears pricked as he sensed the jewel's activity. His eyes widened and he ran as fast as he could towards the cathedral. Kildea looked alarmed as she saw this.

"Blaine! What is it?" She asked worriedly as he hurried after him.

Blaine didn't answer, he just continued running.

The jewel continued to pulse with red light, and a white mist spewed out of the jewel towards the floor in front of the harp. The dancers backed away from the mist, as did the maiden at the harp. Everyone watched in anticipation as the mist gathered to form a sphere on the floor. The mist condensed to form a figure, and it gained some colour. The mist then faded to reveal a Burmecian hunched up on the ground.

The High Priest had a smile on his face, and he turned to look at the King, who looked suspicious of this figure.

The Burmecian slowly got up onto his feet, and everyone could see he was clad in red Cleyran robes that looked tattered and were cut up in places. The Burmecian lifted his head up, throwing his scruffy black hair back so his face was visible. It was then that all the Cleyrans had looks of horror on their faces. The Dragon Knights place a hand on their spears, ready to draw them out in a second. Everyone could now see that this Burmecian's eyes were not coloured like a normal Burmecian's eyes. They were completely black, like the eyes of a demon.

A little smile formed on the demon's lips as he looked around the room, surveying the crowd of cowering Cleyran maidens and the Dragon Knights who were ready to fight if necessary. He then heard someone rush into the room, he turned to see Blaine, who was a little out of breath from his run. The demon then gave a low growl...

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy IX or any of the characters in it. I do own Frato, Blaine and the figure that came out of the jewel.

Author's Notes: I am glad to see that I have a new reader, although it would be nice if I didn't have to advertise to get people to read this. All constructive criticism is welcome.


	8. Aryelc

Everyone's attention was focused on the Burmecian with demon eyes that was stood just before the harp. The Cleyrans were cowering; the Dragon Knights had their lances ready. The demon had focused its attention onto Blaine, and was growling angrily at him. Blaine looked back with a look of anger in his eyes whilst Kildea was shaking with fear and hiding behind him.

"Blaine...who is that?" Kildea managed to stammer. "Why is he growling at us?"

"He is the curse of the jewel..." Blaine replied quietly.

"So you restored Cleyra..." The figure hissed. "I knew something was up when I sensed your energy..."

"What are you talking about?" Frato asked in a slightly confused tone.

The demon glanced at Frato, his eyes narrowing. He then gave a grin and turned back to Blaine.

"They don't know about you do they?" The demon asked curiously. "Why don't you tell them who you really are? They'll find out soon enough anyway..."

Everyone then turned their attention onto Blaine, who was looking a little intimidated by this prospect. He sighed, and his ears flattened for a moment before he addressed them.

"I'm afraid I have been keeping secrets from you." Blaine confessed. "I am more than a humble Burmecian Priest. I am the manifestation of the Holy Spirit of Burmecia. I am Burmece."

The Cleyrans and the Dragon Knights formed some odd expressions on their faces. Many were wondering if this was actually true. Frato looked extremely sceptical of this and decided to speak against it.

"Have you got any way of proving this to us?" Frato asked. "Or are you just being a heretic?"

"Yes I have..." Blaine had a grin on his face as he turned to the demon. "Why don't we prove it to them?" He then looked at the Cleyran who was quivering behind the harp. "You there, young maiden, go to the-"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" The demon hissed at Blaine, before turning towards the shrine maiden behind the harp. "If you so much as breathe on that jewel then everyone in this room will feel the sensation of being burned alive a second time!"

The Dragon Knights readied their lances and were now in battle positions. The demon heard them getting ready for battle. He turned and noticed their battle positions and began to chuckle.

"You think you can stop me?" The demon laughed, amused by the scenario. "You obviously don't know who I am..."

"We won't stand idly by and let you harm the Cleyran citizens!" Fratley responded angrily.

"Yeah, we'll send you back to hell, where you belong!" Frato added.

"You think you can defeat the great demon Aryelc?" The demon replied, still grinning.

At the mention of the demon's name, a shiver went up the spine of the Cleyran High Priest. _Eek! The legends were true! I'd heard stories of a powerful demon resting in the jewel, wanting to destroy the Burmecian race, but I never wanted to believe it was true! Our end is coming!_

Aryelc noticed the lack of reaction that his name had on the Dragon Knights and sighed. "I guess you Burmecians have forgotten me in my absence. Oh well, I suppose I'd better refresh your memory! You will fear my...Ack!"

At that moment, a large fireball slammed into Aryelc, catching him off guard and knocking him over. Everyone turned to the source of the fireball and saw Blaine with his palms thrust out.

"Don't just stare at me like that! Get out of here while you can!" Blaine shouted at the group.

The Cleyrans and the Burmecian King wasted no time in fleeing from the cathedral. The Dragon Knights stayed where they were, eager to assist Blaine in his battle. Kildea stayed where she was for a moment, worrying about what might happen to Blaine, but Blaine looked at her once again with a stern expression and she decided to follow the other Cleyrans. Blaine then turned to the Dragon Knights.

"What are you still doing here?" Blaine asked incredulously. "I told you to get out!"

"We won't let you fight this creature by yourself." Freya replied. "We shall aid you in this battle."

Blaine knew he wouldn't persuade them to leave, and gave a little sigh of defeat. "Fine." He responded. "Just don't prove yourselves to be dead weight, and don't hold back."

The demon growled fiercely as he quickly got back onto his feet. "You bastard...I never thought you would do something so low..."

"This is coming from a creature who will go to any lengths to destroy the Burmecian race." Blaine retorted. "You have the nerve to call me low? You've resorted to dirtier tricks than that..."

The demon grunted. "Well soon I will have no need of such tricks. I will have my vengeance on you and I shall achieve my goal! I will make the first step towards creating the zero world!"

_The zero world? _Freya recalled the words. _He is after the same goal as Necron?_

"I will never understand why you would want to go back to nothing." Blaine replied. "But I know that I will never let you achieve it! The Burmecians enjoy their lives and care for each other. Why do you want to get rid of that?"

"Because that is the only way to truly get rid of the suffering and pain of existence." Aryelc hissed. "The Burmecians suffered at the hands of the black mages and the Alexandrians in the war. Your kingdom was put into ruin. I thought I was winning when Cleyra was destroyed, but you refused to let the Cleyrans rest peacefully in the true sanctuary of the afterlife and you left them in limbo before bringing them pack to this painful life!"

"The Cleyrans were thankful for this second chance at life!" Blaine retorted. "The survivors suffered, and poor Kildea suffered because of the pain at the loss of their friends. Even children, who had yet to understand what life is, died in the attack! I put things straight!"

"You brought them back so they could continue suffering in life." Aryelc growled. "Hate will stir amongst the nations and war will happen again. Cleyra will be destroyed again, your people will be slain a second time. History will repeat itself."

"It was your friend: the Demon of Alexandria who started the war that destroyed Cleyra! The Alexandrians didn't want it!" Blaine roared.

The Dragon Knights couldn't quite believe this. _There is more than one demon! Brahne was a demon?_

"The four demons are usually the main cause for any war on Gaia!" Blaine argued. "You try to stir up hate and fear and cause a path of destruction. The people of Gaia are all happy to live out their little lives. Yet you insist on killing them all. You are the suffering of this world! You are the ones who should be non-existent!"

"Enough of this blasphemy!" Aryelc roared back. You can't deny the fear of death and the torture of existence!"

"Our will to live and our bonds of friendship can overcome any fear!" Freya joined into the argument, remembering Zidane's words. "We shall defeat you and prove you wrong!"

The demons eyes flared at Freya's words and he turned to glare at her. _She was one of the so-called Gaian heroes who defeated both Kuja and Necron. Still, she is no match for me..._

"Prove me wrong?" The demon repeated, itching with rage. A fireball began to form in his left hand. "You don't know who you're talking to... You'll never beat me!"

Aryelc hurled the fireball at Freya with those words, and managed to jump away from the projectile before being hit. The fireball made a small blast and formed a little hole in the floor.

The demon merely grunted at seeing Freya dodge his attack and decided to focus on his next spell. Frato charged at the demon whilst the other two knights charged up the energy for Dragon Knight techniques.

"Here, this should help." Blaine said as he finished preparing his spell. "Shell!" He chanted, and blue spherical barriers formed around him and the three knights.

Frato reached the demon and swung his lance at him with all of his might. Aryelc was still focusing on his spell, and he gave a slight grunt of pain as the lance slammed into his torso. Frato was shocked to find that unlike his appearance suggested, the demon had a strong resistance to physical attacks. His spear had barely made a dent in the creature's torso; it only pierced a small amount of flesh.

The demon had felt the attack and growled at Frato. The Dragon Knight felt a little afraid of the creature's power and wondered how strong his counter-attack would be. The spell that the demon had been charging was ready, and Aryelc thrust his hands into the air.

"Demi!" The demon roared.

A large, black shadow ball of magic appeared in the centre of the cathedral, in the centre of all the warriors. The ball grew as purple waves flew into it, and the ball exploded. A wave of dark energy washed out and hit Blaine and the Dragon Knights, the gravity pulling at them and sapping some of their strength.

Frato gritted his teeth as the gravity attack damaged him from behind and he then gave a yelp as Aryelc smacked him away with his hand. Frato fell to the floor and his lance clattered by his side.

Fratley gave a worried glance at Frato as he and Freya finished charging up their abilities. Freya was the first one to unleash the power of her technique.

"Rei's Wind!" Freya chanted, and green and white energy flowed from her lance over Blaine and the Dragon Knights. Fratley smiled at her when he saw the technique take effect on his adopted brother.

The arrogant warrior Frato picked up his spear and got back onto his feet. The magical effect of Regen slowly restored his strength.

Fratley then unleashed his attack. "Dragon's Breath!" He shouted. Energy gathered at the tip of his spear and formed a fearsome dragon head. The dragon opened its mouth and fired blue energy balls at the demon. Aryelc saw this coming and brought his hands over his head to try and block the attack. The balls of energy slammed into him, one after the other. Aryelc grunted before he was pushed back by the energy.

The attack finished, and the demon looked a little shaken by the attack, but he wasn't seriously damaged. This disturbed the three Dragon Knights; that was one of their most powerful energy attacks. The demon had taken it head on and only received minimal damage.

Aryelc noticed the worried looks on their faces and grinned wickedly. "Do you see now? You can't hope to defeat me..."

Blaine unleashed his second spell at that moment, whilst Aryelc was busy taunting the knights. He thrust his palms out and yelled "Holy!" Streams of bright blue and white light fired out of his hands and exploded onto the demon, causing him to scream in pain and collapse. Blaine took the moment to speak to the Dragon Knights.

"Aryelc's main weakness is against magic. Spells work well against him. Dragon Knight abilities should work if you hit him hard enough and if you catch him off guard." Blaine explained.

The Dragon Knights listened to his advice and began preparing various abilities to try and defeat the demon. A loud growl came from the demon, who was getting back onto his feet, his face filled with rage. "Damn you Burmece...can't you wait your turn! I'm sick of you stabbing me in the back!"

The demon began charging up another spell, red and black energy gathered into his hands. Blaine knew what was coming, and he took up a defensive stance. In a few moments, the demon had finished preparing his spell and pointed towards Blaine.

"Today you will meet your end..." Aryelc growled, before roaring the chant for his spell. "Flare!"

The energy from his hands was released and an intense fireball formed around Blaine, covering a good half of the cathedral. The fireball grew smaller and hotter as it condensed to a single point. Aryelc grinned as he saw Blaine get engulfed by the flames in his defensive stance. However, his smile faded as he noticed that Blaine was smiling back at him, it was then he heard another voice.

"Dragon's Crest!"

Aryelc twitched, and turned his face to see all three Dragon Knights focusing on him and ready to fire their abilities. Freya had made the chant, and there was already a magical dragon emblem forming underneath the demon...

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except Frato, Burmece and Aryelc. Everything else belongs to Square.

Author's Notes: It's been a long while since I updated, but no-one seems interested in this any more. Please give me some constructive comments and let me know you're reading this.


	9. The Duel

Inside the Cleyran cathedral, a fierce battle raged between two spirits of the jewel, one of whom was aided by three famous Dragon Knights: Lady Freya, Sir Frato and Sir Fratley. They were aiding a Burmecian Priest who called himself Blaine, but was actually Burmece, the Holy Guardian of Burmecia. Together, they were fighting a demon of the jewel named Aryelc, who wanted to wipe out the Burmecian race and end existence. Blaine had distracted the demon whilst the Dragon Knights readied some energy techniques.

The flare spell exploded, causing considerable damage to the area of the cathedral that it targeted. Thankfully, Blaine's Shell magic had absorbed most of the spell and he managed to survive the attack with minimal damage.

The second that the flare magic did its damage, a magical dragon burst through the emblem below the demon. Aryelc didn't have enough time to try and block the technique, and the dragon tore through his arm. He screamed as the attack almost severed his arm. The dragon disappeared, and the attack finished.

However, Fratley and Frato also had their own attacks ready. Fratley pointed his lance out first. "Cherry Blossom!" Fratley chanted. Petals streamed out of his lance towards Aryelc. The demon had very little time to scout this and react after Freya's attack and the petals hit him full force, acting like small knifes and slashing at the demon. The knights could hear the demons yelps and grunts as the attack did its damage.

As Fratley's attack subsided, Frato was already charging towards the demon, his lance glowing with white energy. He ran right up to the demon and swung his lance with all his strength. "Lancer!" Frato shouted and he sliced into the demons torso, the energy being unleashed from his spear and inflicting more damage to Aryelc.

The demon screamed with pain as the attack made a deep cut in his torso. He fell back from the attack and knelt submissively. Frato backed away, pleased to see that his attack had given Aryelc a serious wound. The three Dragon Knights were quite surprised to see that the demon was still conscious after receiving so many serious wounds. Then again, the demons that Freya had faced with Zidane's group could take more punishment than an ordinary mortal.

"You bastards..." The demon seethed.

"Surely you didn't think you could win against me and three of Burmecia's top knights?" Blaine said, pleased to see the demon fall. "Now return to the jewel Aryelc. You have been defeated."

"You must be very naïve to think I would just give up now..." Aryelc said with a grin, the knights could see that he was hiding his hand, which was charged up with white energy. The demon cast the spell before any of the knights could react. "Curaga!"

White energy washed over the demon, and the knights could watch in horror as all the wounds they had given him closed up and healed themselves. The demon smiled and gave a sigh of delight as the white magic healed him.

"But what's the point? You know you can't win against all four of us!" Blaine protested angrily.

"You're right about that, Burmece; I can't win against all four of you like this." Aryelc answered, and in one swift leap, he jumped across the cathedral and landed at the central altar where the High Priest often stood to watch the dances. "So how about I even the odds..." Energy was once again charging up in his hands. The unleashed it before anyone could attack him in his new position. "Hah!"

A tremendous gale roared from his hands into the Dragon Knights. Unable to resist the strong winds, they were blown straight out of the door of the cathedral. Blaine managed to shield himself from the attack and prevent himself from being blown out with the three knights.

The three knights landed in a heap in the next room of the cathedral, and Frato was the first one of them to get up and run back into the main room. However, as he reached the doorway, his body bounced back off an invisible barrier. This caused Frato fall back on his rump.

"Damn it! He's sealed us out!" Frato swore angrily. "He's put up some kind of magic barrier!"

"We could ask some of the Cleyrans if they know of a way to remove the barrier." Freya suggested.

"Okay, let's go and find them." Fratley said, before leaving the cathedral. Freya followed him, and Frato got up gave the doorway another glance before he left.

Meanwhile, inside the cathedral, Aryelc was beaming at Blaine. The Burmecian Priest looked rather shaken by the recent events.

"Heh heh. Now we can start the battle that I have been waiting many years for..." Aryelc said with a grin.

"You really want to settle things with me don't you?" Blaine asked as he was starting to calm down.

"You don't know what it's been like!" Aryelc growled. "You sealed me away in Cleyra behind the sandstorm for all those years. I couldn't do anything; the Cleyrans don't seem to have any hate. I nearly lost my sanity, waiting all those years. I was so thrilled when I heard that voice, when I had the chance to break the sandstorm and set me free."

"Kuja managed to communicate with you didn't he?" Blaine asked with interest. "I figured you had something to do with the disappearance of the sandstorm."

"Yes, and I was finally free from you prison." Aryelc said with a grin. "The Cleyrans were shown a world of hate, and they died instantly. So you see, a world cannot exist without hatred. There cannot be a life without suffering."

"You're wrong." Blaine retorted. "The Cleyrans showed me that there could be a world of peace. They just need to be able to spread their ideas."

"You cannot convince the world to give up its hate." Aryelc replied. "I'll prove it to you by winning this battle."

"You give me no choice..." Blaine said firmly, entering a fighting stance.

"Today is the day you will die with your creations..." Aryelc growled, before lunging at Burmece in a mad punch rush. "Die!"

Blaine dodged Aryelc's lunge and gathered some energy to generate a spear out of magical holy energy. He swung the mystical spear at the demon, managing to make a cut on Aryelc's side. The demon yelped and backed away. Blaine charged after him, building up some energy in his magical spear so he could unleash a Dragon Knight attack.

However, Aryelc had foreseen this attack and had charged up some energy of his own. He held his palm out and unleashed a fireball at Blaine. The attack hit Blaine full force and knocked him back. Thankfully his shell magic was still acting on him and he wasn't badly damaged.

Blaine leapt back onto his feet in a flash and he noticed Aryelc preparing another magic spell. He kept an eye on the demon whilst he prepared his own energy attack, his magical lance still in his hand. Aryelc finished his spell first and thrust his palms out to cast the spell.

"Thundaga!" Aryelc roared, and purple energy flowed around his hands before a gigantic beam of lightning ripped from his hands towards Blaine. Blaine was quick on his feet to move away from the spells target, but the thunder attack managed to catch him on his side.

Blaine grunted in pain, but still managed to perform his energy attack. "Cherry Blossom!" Blaine chanted. Streams of petals flew from his hands towards Aryelc and acted like sharp knives. The demon tried to evade the petals but there were too many and he wasn't quick enough. He screamed as the petals tore at his skin and made several cuts onto his body.

The attack finished, and the demon was still standing, although the attack had done some considerable damage to him. Blaine decided to follow up the attack by charging at the demon with his spirit lance a second time. Aryelc didn't have time to prepare a spell to counter this, but he managed to evade the swings of Blaine's lance.

Blaine continued to swing his lance wildly at the demon. He knew that Aryelc couldn't dodge his attacks forever. Aryelc ducked under one of Blaine's swings and tried to sweep Blaine off his feet with his legs. This worked, and Blaine stumbled and fell back.

Aryelc then decided to gather the energy to form his own spirit lance, out of dark shadow energy. He pointed the lance at Blaine's throat, and grinned wickedly. However, his expression changed when he noticed what Blaine was doing.

After he had been knocked back onto the floor, Blaine had started charging up energy for another magic spell. When Aryelc pointed his spirit lance at Blaine's throat, the spell was ready. Blaine smiled at the demon as he unleashed the spell.

"Holy!" Blaine chanted, and a ray of bright light hit the demon in his upper body with full force. Aryelc screamed in pain and was knocked back by the energy. Blaine got back onto his feet as the demon reeled from the attack.

Blaine then proceeded to continue his assault by charging his spirit lance with white energy as he raced towards Aryelc, who was still recovering from Blaine's last attack. Blaine brought back his lance and thrust it towards the demon as he unleashed his attack.

"Lancer!" Blaine chanted as his spear pierced through Aryelc. The demon screamed as the energy was released to make the wound larger and more painful. Blaine had thrust his lance through Aryelc's torso for a lethal blow.

Blaine removed his spear and discharged the energy to get rid of his spear. Aryelc fell back onto the floor gasping for air. A smile formed on Blaine's face as he savoured his victory.

"It's over Aryelc." Blaine stated simply. "I have won. Now return to the jewel and leave my children in peace."

Aryelc growled as he heard these words. "One of these days Burmece..." He managed to growl through heavy breaths. "...I will defeat you. Gaia's hatred shall prevail."

With those words, Aryelc grew with a bright red light and faded into mist, which slowly flowed back into the jewel. The demon had retreated back into the magic stone.

* * *

At the entrance to the main chamber of the cathedral, the three Dragon Knights managed to persuade Kildea and the High Priest to examine the magic seal Aryelc had formed.

"This seal has been formed by a truly mighty force..." The High Priest said in a rather worried tone as he looked at the seal. "I don't know of any way to remove it..."

"I wonder if Blaine is alright in there...?" Kildea pondered, fidgeting as she worried for her friend.

"Grr...I've had enough of this. It's time to fight magic with magic!" Frato growled. He charged up energy in his spear and pointed it at the doorway as the other two knights and Cleyrans backed off. "Dragon's Breath!"

The white energy in the tip of Frato's spear formed a magical Dragon's head, which fired blue energy bolts out of its mouth towards the door. The energy bolts hit the magic seal full force and made a series of small explosions. The attack finished, and Frato walked up to see if he had succeeded in removing the seal. He tapped the area where the seal was and found that his fingers were repelled.

Frato roared and kicked the seal in frustration. "This is hopeless! Just what are we supposed to do?"

"There is nothing we can do other than wait until the seal is lifted." Freya said, also angry at the fact that she was powerless to do anything. However, she was keeping her feelings to herself right now and maintained a calm composure. "If the demon emerges from the cathedral than we shall take care of him. However, we are not going to achieve anything by losing our tempers and shouting profanities." Freya finished as she looked at Frato with a scalding glare.

Frato scowled at Freya for a moment before calming himself down. She was right, even if he didn't want to admit it.

"I would also advise that you two get out of here, just in case the demon does come out of the cathedral." Freya advised Kildea and the High Priest. They heeded her words and left the cathedral fairly quickly.

The three Dragon Knights waited outside the main chamber of the cathedral for a second time. This time they were more anxious, they were not sure that they would be able to take out the demon by themselves. It was hard enough with Blaine by their side. Eventually, the magic seal broke away and the doorway was clear.

The three knights hastily made their way through the doorway and saw that the demon was gone. Blaine noticed their arrival and addressed them.

"I have vanquished the demon." Blaine said to the group. "Cleyra is safe."

The three knights all breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. They would not have to fight the demon a second time...

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own FF9 or any characters and locations in it. However, Frato, Blaine/ Burmece and Aryelc are mine.

Author's Note: This has been my fastest update in recent weeks, and I am glad to see I have a new reviewer. I welcome all constructive comments and I hope that I get a few more new reviewers commenting on my work.


	10. True Evil

The Dragon Knights informed the Cleyrans of the demons defeat and they returned to the settlement and the cathedral. The High Priest decided to continue with the dancing and the celebrations, feeling that there was all the more reason to celebrate.

Blaine did not stay in the cathedral long. He left as the Cleyrans entered the cathedral and he decided to go to the observatory a second time. Kildea noticed his absence and went looking for him. She went to the observatory first and found him gazing at the view.

"Blaine?" Kildea asked. "What you are doing here?"

Blaine glanced at her, acknowledging her presence before turning back. "I'm just thinking."

"The High Priest wants to speak with you." Kildea said simply. "I'm sure he wants to thank you for what you've done."

"I don't wish to speak with him just now." Blaine replied.

"Why not? Is there something wrong?" Kildea asked, slightly hurt by this response.

"Well...I still have this ominous feeling." Blaine answered, racking his brain. "Something is about to happen." _Yet I vanquished Aryelc, so what could it be?_

"You might be sensing an upcoming summoning call." Kildea suggested. "The High Priest is planning on calling you forth from the jewel."

Blaine's eyes widened. "What? Why is he calling me forth?"

"He wants you to regenerate the sandstorm that protected Cleyra, and to see your true form." Kildea answered with a smile.

Blaine looked a little shaken by this, and grabbed Kildea's hand and started walking to the cathedral at a quick pace. "Come on, let's go and see the High Priest."

"Blaine? What's the matter?" Kildea asked, surprised by Blaine's reaction.

Blaine didn't answer; he just continued to hurry towards the cathedral. _I just know what will come of this, and I will not let it happen!_

Meanwhile, inside the cathedral, the shrine maidens finished performing their dance and the High Priest stepped forth.

"Now that we have finished our celebrative dances, I believe we should finish off this celebration with a truly remarkable event." The High Priest announced. "It is time that we called forth the guardian spirit of the jewel to restore our protective sandstorm. Although we shall make it weak enough so that our Burmecian brothers can pass through it so they can return to their home, and then we can perform the dance to strengthen the sandstorm. I'm sure that the Burmecians will be thankful of witnessing this, even if it means having to brave our sandstorm when they leave."

The High Priest then turned and walked towards the jewel, resting in its place atop the harp. He carefully took it out of its place and held it in front of him. He then began to chant...

Outside the cathedral, Blaine froze in his tracks and Kildea nearly fell over from the sudden stop.

"The summoning is about to begin..." Blaine said, looking very anxious.

The words of the High Priest then began to run through his mind. _Burmece, the Holy Spirit of the Burmecian Realm and our creator and guardian, please answer my call. Come forth and use your great power to restore our protective sandstorm!_

Blaine fell to his knees, he felt as though he was struggling against something. _But I don't _want _to restore the sandstorm! _

"Blaine!" Kildea said in a worried tone before coming up to him to see what was wrong. Blaine pushed her away, trying to win his mental struggle. After a few seconds, another voice ran through his head.

_Sealing yourself from the world can be considered an act of hatred. You do not want to be part of the world. _Blaine recognised this voice and a look of terror filled his face. _I shall answer your call, summoner. I will protect you from the world, just like you want. I shall destroy the world, and then it cannot harm you. In the sanctuary of the afterlife, you will not need protection, as you cannot be harmed..._

Inside the cathedral, the High Priest was sharing a similar look of terror as he heard these words. He watched the jewel pulse with red light, and white mist streamed out of the jewel and out of the cathedral. Blaine could see the mist flowing out of the cathedral and into the sky above them. Darkness filled the sky and the mist began to take form. A bright flash blinded both Blaine and Kildea for a brief moment. After the flash, they could clearly see what had been called forth from the jewel.

High above Cleyra, a large red muscular figure floated in the sky. His massive dragon like wings kept him aloft and his black, demon eyes stared at the city below. Blaine and Kildea could almost see through the blood red hue of the creature. The demon looked rather similar to Burmece, except for its colour, and the black demon eyes and the massive demon horns sticking out between his ears.

The High Priest came out of the cathedral to see what he had called forth, followed by the Dragon Knights and the Cleyrans in the cathedral. They all looked into the sky and saw the demonic figure hovering above them.

"What have I done!" The High Priest asked himself, filled with regret.

"The great demon Aryelc has risen once again!" Aryelc cheered, grinning wickedly. "The time of the zero world is near!"

The Cleyrans were frozen with terror at the sight of the demon. The High Priest decided to try something. He step forward and cleared his throat.

"Be gone!" The High Priest shouted at the demon. "As your summoner, I order you to return to the jewel!"

"Foolish mortal..." The demon replied, still grinning. "You think you can control me? Burmece and I are unlike most eidolons; we don't have to abide by our summoner's instructions if we don't wish to. That's why the summoners split up the crystal all those years ago. They could call forth the eidolons within, but they couldn't control them. They were afraid of their power."

The Cleyran High Priest looked horrified after hearing these words. Fear clutched every inch of his body. _This is the end..._

The Dragon Knights had all drawn their lances and ran up to confront the demon once again. Aryelc noticed their battle stances and laughed hard.

"You honestly think you can stop me!" Aryelc taunted. "You may have beaten my manifestation with Burmece's help, but I'm in a completely different league now!"

The Dragon Knights didn't let these words affect them, and they began preparing various Dragon Knight techniques.

"I could just blow up Cleyra and be done with the lot of you, but that wouldn't be satisfying." Aryelc said as he wondered what to do. "Besides, I would end up destroying the jewel if I did that. No, I'll just kill you all one at a time and savour the frightened looks on your faces..."

Blaine had started running full speed towards the cathedral, dragging Kildea behind him.

"Blaine? Where are we going!" Kildea asked.

"There's only one way we can stop Aryelc in his true form." Blaine said simply. "We're going to the cathedral, so that you can call me forth from the jewel once again."

Aryelc noticed Blaine running towards the cathedral and his grin turned into a scowl. "Oh no you don't..." The demon growled, and his fingers glowed a fiery red colour. He then pointed the glowing finger to where Blaine and Kildea were running. "Firaga!"

A stream of fire poured out of his fingers and shot towards Blaine and Kildea. The Dragon Knights were to far away to do anything to protect them. Blaine noticed the spell coming towards them and positioned himself in front of Kildea. The spell hit Blaine full force, causing Blaine to cry out in pain and be pushed backwards by the force of the spell. He landed on top of Kildea and the two fell into a crumpled heap.

"Blaine! Blaine! Are you alright?" Kildea said in a panicked voice as she checked over the fallen Burmecian. His front was covered in serious burns, yet he was still conscious, although very weak.

"Forget about me." Blaine said weakly. "Just run, get to the cathedral and summon me."

Kildea nodded, and got up whilst laying Blaine down carefully. She then proceeded to run towards the cathedral as fast as she could.

"There's no-one to save you now." Aryelc jeered, as he prepared a spell to stop Kildea reaching the cathedral. His hand was glowing with fiery red energy once again.

"You're forgetting about us!" Frato roared, as he pointed his spear towards Aryelc to unleash his technique. "Dragon's Crest!"

A magical dragon emblem appeared in front of the demon, who didn't seem concerned by it. A white, spiritual dragon burst through the emblem towards Aryelc, and bite and attacked Aryelc's chest. The demon gave a slight grunt in pain, and when the attack subsided the Dragon Knights were all shocked to see that the attack had barely scratched the demon.

"Don't you see now?" The demon hissed. "Your attacks are useless against me."

Aryelc finished gathering the energy for his spell, and pointed his finger at Kildea. "Flare!" The demon chanted, and the energy shot towards the Cleyran Oracle. Kildea saw the attack coming towards her, and she froze to the spot, completely terrified.

The energy formed an intense fireball as it shot through the air, and Kildea screamed as the attack closed in on her. The attack hit her full force, but Kildea didn't feel any pain. Instead, the fireball bounced off her and shot back straight towards Aryelc.

"What?" The demon said in disbelief as he saw the fireball come back towards him. He brought his hands over his face and chest to block the attack. The fireball slammed into him full force and exploded, causing Aryelc to grunt in pain.

Kildea was surprised to see the spell bounce off her. She checked herself to see if the fireball had done any damage to her, and she found she was glowing in a mysterious red light.

"Kildea!" Blaine called out to her. Kildea turned to look at him. He was still on the floor, but he was facing her with his hand pointing at her. "I've cast a Reflect spell on you. But it won't last long. Run to the cathedral now while Aryelc is distracted!"

Kildea nodded and turned to run towards the cathedral. She managed to get the cathedral's entrance and she called out to the High priest.

"Come on! Get inside!" Kildea said frantically. "We have to summon Burmece!"

"Of course!" The High Priest exclaimed, sensing a ray of hope.

The two quickly ran into the cathedral. Meanwhile, the Flare attacked had subsided and Aryelc was growling. His Flare spell had given him some fair sizes burns, but they weren't major. He had noted the disappearance of Kildea and the High Priest and he knew what they were up to. He turned to the fallen body of Blaine and addressed him.

"Damn you Burmece...Why can't you accept your fate?" The demon cursed.

"I won't go down without a fight..." Blaine said, smiling at the demon. "...And the Dragon Knights won't either..."

Aryelc looked down at Freya, Frato and Fratley and saw them charging up their techniques. He chuckled at their efforts.

"Trying those attacks again?" The demon asked, sneering. "You know they are useless against me. You're nowhere near powerful enough, it is futile."

The Dragon Knights ignored the demon's taunts, and their techniques were ready. The three knights put the tips of their spears together, and the energy in their lances combined into a single point.

"Dragon's Breath!" The Dragon Knights chanted together. A massive white magical dragon head formed out of the energy, and it opened its maw and fired several thunderous bolts of energy at the demon.

"What?" Aryelc exclaimed in disbelief. The bolts of energy slammed into him, causing him to scream in pain. This time the attack had done its work.

When the attack subsided, the demon had some fairly severe burns on his chest. He growled angrily at the three knights. "You insolent little..."

Aryelc began charging up green and white energy in his palms, the spell was ready in seconds. The demon cast the spell upon himself without hesitation.

"You cannot defeat me." Aryelc said simply. "Curaga!"

The white magic took its effect upon the demons body and dissolved the burns off the demons skin, healing up any wounds. After the spell had finished, Aryelc was left fully healed and at it was if nothing had touched him.

"I'll take all three of you measly urchins down with this attack..." The demon growled. The Cleyran tree began to shake with the demon's power. "And all of your friends! I'll show you my true power!"

Blaine knew what was coming, and his smile faded and his eyes filled with fear. _Hurry up and summon me Kildea...the whole of Cleyra will be destroyed by this attack..._

The Dragon Knights tried not to look intimidated and took up defensive positions. The demon glared at them, his eyes burning with rage.

"This is the end of Cleyra!" The demon roared and threw his hand up into the air...

* * *

Inside the cathedral, Kildea and the High Priest had reached the jewel and Kildea immediately began to pray to the jewel.

"Burmece, the great Holy Spirit of the Burmecian Realm and the creator and guardian of our kind, please answer my call." Kildea called out to the jewel, focusing her mind. "Come forth and protect us from Aryelc's wrath and hatred..."

After Kildea had finished those words, the jewel began to glow with a bright blue light. The High Priest and Kildea both shared a look of happiness.

"Burmece is coming!" Kildea said happily.

The light from the jewel spewed out white energy which shot past Kildea and outside of the cathedral.

* * *

Once Aryelc had thrown his hand up, strong winds began to pick up around Cleyra and the sand was caught up and pushed through the air. More sand began to appear magically from above Cleyra, and within seconds Cleyra's magical protective sandstorm had been regenerated.

"The sandstorm..." Freya commented as the three knights looked curiously, anxious as to what the demon's attack would be.

"Yes...the sandstorm." Aryelc said with a grin. "Cleyra's protector...and now, it shall become its destroyer!"

Aryelc thrust his hand up again, and fire began to appear within the sandstorm. Waves of fire flew round the sandstorm, igniting the air and sand until the sandstorm had become a raging firestorm, surrounding the Cleyran tree. The three Dragon Knights watched in horror as this took place. Aryelc was beaming wildly.

"Say goodbye to this world..." Aryelc cackled, and he thrust his palms forward.

The firestorm began to shift, and move across ever so slowly. After a few moments, which seemed like hours for the knights and the citizens, the demon became engulfed in the fire. He wasn't harmed by this, instead he just grinned wickedly as the firestorm slowly moved towards the tree. After a few moments, the edge of the tree was caught inside the firestorm and was burned away. It kept moving closer and closer...

Then, all of a sudden, bolts of blue light shot through the firestorm and flowed with it. The firestorm flashed, and there was a blinding burst of white light. When everyone could see again, the firestorm had vanished. They could also see another titanic figure facing Aryelc, it looked very similar. However, its skin was blue and not red; it did not have the demon horns or the demon eyes. It looked angelic, and the Cleyrans could guess as to who it was.

The demon growled angrily at this new figure. Aryelc spoke the name of the new figure with a seething tone.

"Burmece..."

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own FF9 or its respective characters or locations. I do own Frato, Blaine/Burmece, and Aryelc though.

Author's Notes: Please give me a review if you are reading this and tell me what you think. All constructive comments are welcome. As a writer, I need them.


	11. Clash of Titans

There was an unsettling anxiety and a silent awe flowing through the people in Cleyra as they looked up at the two titans in the sky. The two mighty eidolons were staring at each other, feelings of anger and rage welling up inside them, ready to explode over Cleyra. Burmece, the blue angelic spirit of the jewel and Aryelc, the red demonic spirit of the jewel were facing each other, both of them wanting to destroy the other.

"I will not let you harm my children!" Burmece said fiercely. "We will not return to the zero world. We have a will to live, and we want to keep and experience the blessings of life!"

"So you keep saying..." The demon hissed. "Yet the Cleyrans died, thanks to the hatred of Brahne and the Alexandrians. It is that kind of hate which causes suffering and pain in this world."

"True..." Burmece replied. "…and we must vanquish the hatred of the world."

"To do that, we would need to vanquish the world, as hate will always exist in the lives of others." Aryelc added. "Only in the zero world can there be a place free of hate."

"That's not true." Burmece said, arguing against the demon. "The Cleyrans showed me that there can be a world free of hate."

"Nonsense, the Cleyrans were destroyed by hatred, and it will be only be a matter of time before hatred destroys them once again." Aryelc growled. "The fact they isolated themselves was an act of hate. They didn't want to be part of the world."

"They were only protecting themselves so they could live a life of peace." Burmece responded.

"Enough of this!" Aryelc roared. "I will defeat you Burmece! Today you will fall and we shall witness the true everlasting peace of the zero world!"

"I will not fight with you here." Burmece stated simply.

"What!" Aryelc exclaimed.

"I will not fight you where innocent people may be harmed." Burmece said clearly. "We shall pitch our battle on the Forgotten continent, no sentient beings live there. It shall be a perfect arena for us to settle things."

Aryelc growled for a moment, before nodding. "Alright, I'll fight you on the Forgotten continent. Once I'm rid of you, there will be nothing to protect the Cleyrans from my wrath. Then, I'll awake the other three demons from their jewel prisons and we shall create the zero world!"

The demon grinned after making this statement, and then a confused look filled his face as he looked around. He looked out towards the sea and found Burmece already flying towards the Forgotten continent.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Aryelc roared before shooting off after Burmece.

The Cleyrans all breathed a little sigh of relief after seeing Aryelc fly away from the tree.

"The demon has gone..." One of the Oracles sighed with relief.

"He doesn't want Cleyra to be collateral damage in their fight..." Freya said to herself.

"One of the most important battles in Burmecian history is about to happen and I'm stuck here doing nothing!" Frato complained.

"Sir Frato, do you honestly think you would stand a chance?" Fratley asked. "You were barely able to scratch that demon, and you saw his destructive capability."

"I know..." Frato said sadly, not bothering to look at the smouldering edge of the Cleyran tree. "Ugh...I feel so powerless!"

"I know how you feel Frato but there isn't anything we can do." Freya said, trying to calm the hybrid down. "Burmece would just be worrying about us instead on focusing on the battle."

Frato just gave an angry sigh before walking away to think to himself.

* * *

Aryelc followed Burmece across the ocean. The two of them were both faster fliers than even Bahamut, the Dragon King. One of the main positive qualities of Burmecian soldiers was their agility; it was merely logical that the Burmecian eidolons would be swift and agile as well, even if they didn't have as much raw power as Alexander.

The two had reached the Forgotten continent in a matter of moments. Aryelc could see Burmece floating in the air above the continent waiting for him.

"So our battle begins..." Aryelc said with a grin.

"Indeed." Burmece replied, sharing a similar smile. "You wanted it this way, didn't you?"

"I would have preferred it if I didn't have to travel so far to start sending the Burmecians to the afterlife." Aryelc said. "Yet I shall savour my victory all the same."

"Enough talk, let's get this over with." Burmece closed the discussion and entered a battle stance.

Aryelc's grin widened and he flew straight at Burmece to commence his attack. "Those words shall be your last!" He roared, and threw a punch at Burmece, who sidestepped to evade it and elbowed Aryelc back.

The demon growled before lunging at Burmece again, throwing a kick into the eidolon's chest. The kick knocked Burmece back, but he was not fazed much. Burmece charged into Aryelc throwing several fast punches at the demon. Aryelc managed to block several of the punches and tried throwing a few punches and kicks of his own in the brawl. After the eidolons had pummelled each other for a considerable amount of time, Burmece managed to kick the demon in the air and grabbed his leg. He then swung the demon round him, getting faster and faster until he threw Aryelc down at a nearby cliff.

The cliff face crumbled away with the force of the impact, but Aryelc was not down. He got back up quickly and looked up at Burmece with a frustrated expression. He noticed that Burmece had started charging up a spell whilst he was recovering from the throw, and the eidolon thrust his palms out at the demon.

"Flare!" Burmece chanted, and an intense fireball started to form around the demon. Energy kept pouring in and the fireball started to grow bigger and bigger until it exploded, taking away the remains of the cliff and leaving a sizable crater. However, Aryelc was nowhere to be seen.

Burmece's ears pricked, and he turned to his right to see Aryelc charging towards him through the air. Burmece had been foolish enough to focus on the fireball and not where the demon had gone. Aryelc tackled Burmece and started shoving him towards the ground. Burmece couldn't pull away in time and he was slammed into the ground.

Aryelc flew back up, a little grin on his face. The demon knew that it would take more than that to defeat Burmece, but he was glad to have the advantage at that moment. He decided to try and follow up on his counter attack and began charging up a spell of his own.

Burmece was quick to get back onto his feet and looked up to see Aryelc charging up a spiritual attack. He decided to try and stop the demon and flew straight at him. Aryelc finished preparing his technique and opened his palms.

"Dragon's Breath!" Aryelc roared, as the energy in his hands formed the shape of a ferocious dragon's head. The dragon opened its mouth and fired bolts of energy towards Burmece.

The eidolon tried to swerve away from the bolts of energy to evade them. Most of the energy blasts missed him completed and exploded down on the land below. One of the bolts managed to catch Burmece's side, but that didn't stop him from tearing towards Aryelc and landing a flying kick.

The demon yelped and was sent hurtling back by the kick, but he quickly regained control and composure. He growled at Burmece, and decided to fly away from the holy eidolon. After creating a sizable distance between the two, the demon started charging up an immense amount of energy. The ground beneath the two eidolons began to shake as Aryelc prepared his formidable technique.

_Heh. Trust him to get angry and start bringing out the powerful magic. _Burmece thought. He then shot towards the demon as fast as he could, whilst gathering some energy of his own. _He must realise that he's wide open whilst he's charging up the energy for that spell..._

As Burmece started to get close to the demon, Aryelc grinned. He lifted up his hand and summoned the dust and sand beneath to swirl up and create a fierce sandstorm around him just as Burmece got close. The demon then used his other hand to ignite the sand and create the firestorm that he made in Cleyra. After the firestorm raged for a few seconds, he waved both hands to dissipate the sandstorm.

When the sandstorm faded, Burmece was floating in front of Aryelc, his energy attack fully charged up. Aryelc couldn't believe that Burmece had survived his firestorm attack unharmed. Yet Burmece knew that he had stopped just outside of the fire:storm's radius. He then used his opening and unleashed his attack.

The energy he had gathered formed a spear of spiritual energy, Burmece then swung this new weapon at Aryelc's open torso wildly. He made several slashes in rapid succession and hacked away at the demon. After each slash, Aryelc yelped in pain. When Burmece had dealt enough damage, he took a quick leap back and charged at Aryelc, putting more energy into his spear.

"Lancer!" Burmece shouted as he tore through the demon, unleashing the magical power of the technique. Aryelc screamed as the attack pierced through his skin and gave him a major wound. Black, demon blood started pouring out of the wound and the scratches on his body and Aryelc started backing away from Burmece.

"Don't you see now? All that rage inside you has blinded you from using a coherent strategy." Burmece stated.

"Foolish Burmece...you fail to see the power of rage." Aryelc growled. "It's your fault that I've lost my technique. You kept me locked up in that sandstorm for too long. I went insane being stuck in Cleyra for all that time. I waited for the day that I could break free..."

"Then why bother fighting me when you know you are going to lose...?" Burmece retorted.

"Because..." Aryelc growled louder, as he finished charging the energy behind his back. "Because you too, have weaknesses. I shall have my way eventually; it's only a matter of time before the zero world is created."

Burmece can to notice the energy forming behind his back, and he recognised the spell. His eyes lit up in fear. _He just stalled me by talking, he was charging up that spell since I landed my attack!_

"The age of darkness begins now." Aryelc roared. He thrust his palms over his head and in front of him, with a gigantic white ball of fire on the end of his hands. "Giga Flare!"

The fireball shot off the ends of his palms and slammed straight into Burmece, who didn't even have time to move. The ball slammed into the ground, with more energy pouring into it as it fell. Burmece did his best to try and block the fireball, but it exploded in a matter of seconds. Aryelc was still grinning as the explosion grew bigger and began to cover more of the continent.

When the attack subsided, there was a large crater where the fireball had exploded. Aryelc looked very carefully for any signs of Burmece. He didn't have to look far; Burmece had taken up a defensive stance in the centre of the crater. The holy eidolon was covered in major burns from the assault.

Aryelc hissed viciously and decided to descend. He then noticed that Burmece was charging up a spell. At least, it _looked_ like he was charging up a spell. The demon sped towards Burmece to try and stop the eidolon's attack. As he caught up to Burmece, he finally realised what he was doing.

"Bahamut!" Burmece chanted. "King of all Dragons! Protect your kin from Aryelc's wrath and aid me in this battle!"

Aryelc froze as he heard these words. The sky above them lit up in flames, the Lord of all Dragons came bursting through the flames and charged down towards them both. Aryelc turned his attention onto the dragon, he sneered and started laughing.

"You think you can do anything? You couldn't even harm Kuja or Alexander! How on Gaia do you expect to stop me?" Aryelc taunted.

Bahamut didn't listen, and unleashed his Mega Flare attack. The large fireballs slammed into the demon and knocked him over. Aryelc had let down his guard, and he had been weakened from Burmece's assault.

The dragon landed next to Burmece, who quickly cast a Curaga spell over himself to treat some of his burns. Burmece and Aryelc were both nearly twice the size of Bahamut, and were much more powerful than him, but Bahamut had trusted the holy eidolon since he had been born and had never questioned his wisdom.

Aryelc quickly pulled himself off the ground. His rage was beginning to boil over.

"Summoning other beings is cheating!" Aryelc roared. "This is between you and me."

"You only say that because you can't persuade anyone to join your cause." Burmece replied. "Having friends to rely on is a power of love, and that is a power I should be able to use. Besides, since when did you start following rules?"

"Why you..." Aryelc seethed, starting to advance before being hit by another fireball from Bahamut's mouth.

Burmece decided to take off as Aryelc recovered from the Mega Flare. The Dragon Lord followed Burmece shortly afterwards and the two got as far away from the demon as they could. Aryelc saw them dashing back from him and decided to prepare another devastating spell.

Burmece then positioned himself on Bahamut's back, using his large wings to keep himself from causing the dragon to plummet from the sky. He then started charging up Giga Flare in his own hands as Bahamut built up the energy for a Mega Flare. The two of them were charging separate fireballs, each one building up and growing larger and much more powerful.

"I'll show you the true power of love..." Burmece said fiercely.

Bahamut and Burmece then combined their fireballs into a single, tremendous sphere of pure white energy. More power was flowing into the ball and it grew even larger, until both Burmece and Bahamut could no longer hold it.

Aryelc continued to focus on his spell, and decided to cast it to try and stop the pair of eidolons.

"Take this!" Aryelc roared. "Giga Flare!"

Burmece and Bahamut had finished charging up the attack, and they unleashed it.

"This is the end Aryelc!" Burmece shouted back. "Terra Flare!"

The two attacks were released together, Aryelc's large blazing fireball and the divine light of Burmece and Bahamut. The bright holy energy tore through the intense fireball in seconds, and shot straight at Aryelc. The demon was terrified as the ray shot towards him. Aryelc tried to defend himself by bringing his hands over his face, as a last resort. The white ray slammed into him, and Aryelc couldn't do anything to stop the ray of light.

"This...c-cannot be!" Aryelc exclaimed in shock.

The white energy tore the demon's body apart, and landed straight onto the rocks of the Forgotten Continent. The holy ray bore down onto the ground below, and created an immense explosion which covered a vast area of the continent.

This explosion was felt in Cleyra, as the ground beneath the Cleyran's feet shook. The maidens and the priests and the Burmecian soldiers and refugees all shared a tense look across the sea towards the Forgotten Continent.

In the midst of the explosion, Bahamut and Burmece were still hovering in their position. They had both felt the power of the attack, and the effects it had on its surroundings. Burmece looked carefully through the carnage to see if there was any trace of Aryelc.

"He's gone..." Burmece said, breathing a sigh of relief. "The demon has been defeated..."

* * *

Author's Notes: There is still an epilogue to come after this, but after that this fanfiction is finished.


	12. Epilogue

There was a brief moment of silence as the two eidolons gazed over the smoky remains of the Forgotten continent. The two were enjoying the brief moment of peace and savouring the victory of what had been a ferociously intense battle.

"Our work is done." Burmece stated, and looked over to the Dragon King. "You are dismissed Bahamut. Thanks for all the help."

Bahamut looked back at Burmece and grinned a toothy smile. _'Until we meet again..._

The great Dragon King spread out his wings and took flight, and in a matter of seconds was beyond the horizon.

Burmece then glanced at the sea, which lay between the two Gaian continents. _I must return to Cleyra..._

* * *

There was an awkward silence as the Cleyrans and Burmecians stared into the distance at the mass of smoke rising across the sea. They had only just recovered their balance from the tremor created by the Terra Flare attack. Everyone in Cleyra prayed silently that the demon had been destroyed.

Their prayer was answered when the figure of Burmece could be seen flying through the sky towards them. When everyone saw the battered blue eidolon had survived the battle a loud cheer could be heard in the cathedral and throughout the Cleyran settlement.

Burmece flew right up to the front of one of the large openings in the cathedral and hovered so that he could address the people inside.

"My work is done. The great demon Aryelc is defeated." Burmece said with great pride. "I must leave you now."

"Wait!" The High Priest exclaimed, surprising the holy eidolon. "I do apologise for interrupting you like this, but I must ask for one last request..."

"What is it?" Burmece asked. He had a feeling he knew what this would be.

"Burmece, great holy guardian of the Burmecian realm..." The High Priest began, quivering from intimidation in the eidolon's presence. "I must ask you to restore the sacred sandstorm that has protected Cleyra since the days of old."

There was a long, agonising pause before the eidolon made its response.

"No."

The High Priest's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"I...beg your pardon?" The High Priest managed to squeak.

"I said no." Burmece repeated sternly. "The Cleyrans have spent too long hiding behind the sandstorm. They've forgotten all about the world outside."

"B-but..." The High Priest stammered in protest.

"I don't object to your ideas of peace and pacifism. In fact, I'm all for them." Burmece continued, ignoring the High Priest's protest. "Yet hiding away in the sandstorm won't do you any good. Gaia is at peace now, and you have Burmecia as an ally. You could spread your ideas of peace throughout the world and help create a better future for everyone."

"Yet the hatred that exists within humans and demi-humans against our people; the arts of war and destruction that has been practiced through the lands..." The High Priest faltered.

"You must learn to overcome that fear...No country wants war." The Burmecian King interjected. "My people will ensure your protection."

"But...what about our life of peace and solitude...?" The High Priest asked, rather troubled by this new prospect.

"The battle between Aryelc and I may have been intense; but Cleyra still stands." Burmece replied. "You can still live the quiet life you love, but it is only through exposure to the outside world that will allow you to overcome your fears and weaknesses."

"Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?" The High Priest asked, still feeling anxious about these ideas.

"No, but it is for your own benefit." Burmece replied with a smile. "The Cleyrans can now experience the wonder of the planet Gaia. Also, do not worry about hatred and acts of war. No matter what happens, I am always watching over you. I will act as Cleyra's ultimate defence if I need to. Just be sure to summon me..."

"Alright... I will do my best to follow this new path you have set for us." The High Priest sighed, although he did feel a little better after hearing the eidolon's words.

"Burmece!" The King called out, gaining the eidolon's attention. "My Lord, you've been hiding in Burmecia for all these years in the form of a Priest... Are you still going to act as an advisor to the throne?"

"I'm afraid I must retire from that position." Burmece replied, still smiling. "But I'll still watch over you, and I will still give you advice should you need it. Although if I were you I'd be more concerned about dethroning your son Puck."

_Puck came back...? He actually took up his position on the throne? _The King thought to himself. He excused himself from the room and left in order to hasten the preparations to return to Burmecia.

"Well, I have no more business here." Burmece stated. "I will let you get on with your new lives. Good luck." After he finished those words, his feet began to glow.

"Farewell my Lord...and thank you." The High Priest said.

The Burmecians and Cleyrans all watched as the Holy eidolon began to turn to blue, glittering dust. The blue particles then moved as a graceful gust of wind towards the jewel and entered it, causing the jewel to glow a bright white. When the particles finished pouring into the sacred stone it returned to its usual red glimmer.

* * *

The Burmecian refugees were quickly gathered together and many were thrilled at the prospect of finally being able to come home. Some of the Cleyrans decided that they also wanted to travel to Burmecia, in order to discuss how the great tree sanctuary should be defended. They also went to send scouts out for the two shrine maidens who were reported missing from Cleyra that Kildea had claimed had survived the Alexandrian attack with her.

Puck got the fright of his life when he saw his father walk into the throne room. After several explanations from the King and Freya about what had happened in Cleyra he settled down a little, although he didn't really want to believe what he had heard. Shortly the King had reclaimed his throne it was reported that Puck was missing from Burmecia once again.

Back in Cleyra, Kildea was telling all of her friends about her travels around Gaia after the Alexandrian attack and about what the outside world had been like. A small group of Cleyrans decided to travel to the secret library of Duagerreo a few days later.

In one of the beautifully made blue houses of Cleyra, Kildea had just finished talking to a small bunch of her friends. They were all getting ready to leave and bidding their farewells to Kildea. She was waving them goodbye from the door of house and remained outside for a brief moment. Looking around at the wonder of home, something she thought she would never see again. Then, something caught her attention as she looked around from the corner of her eye. She turned, and she could she a figure.

It was Blaine.

Kildea opened her mouth to speak, but Blaine then started to run away.

"Wait!" Kildea pleaded, pursuing him through the settlement. She ignored the odd glances she got from the other Cleyrans as she ran through the pathways and bridges.

Blaine was incredibly swift on his feet and managed to outrun her. She lost her sight of him near the entrance of the settlement and stopped to catch her breath. A sad expression was embodied on her face; she really wanted to give him her gratitude since the battle with Aryelc.

Kildea looked round for any more signs of him, but didn't find anything. She then pondered the possibility of him descending the trunk. It would be dangerous for her to follow, as the monsters from the plains had begun climbing the tree and making homes in the trunk. Yet despite this, she left the settlement. She started descending the ladders and made her way down the tree.

Being as cautious as she had been during the Alexandrian attack, she crept downwards and looked for any signs of Blaine passing through. She saw footprints, but they could have been left by the Burmecians who had left the settlement not long ago.

After spending a few hours looking round for Blaine, she began to lose hope. It was starting to get dark as well, and she was beginning to get tired. She didn't have anything with her, and she would have to return to the settlement at some point.

She then heard a screech from behind her, and she turned to see a massive black bird flying towards. Kildea gave a yelp and darted away to avoid the Zuu's talons. The bird flew up and turned around to try and swoop at her again. Kildea tried to run away, but the bird was too fast and managed to knock her over as it flew down a second time.

Kildea rolled onto her back, seething in pain from the charge, and filled with fear. She watched as the bird prepared to swoop again, hoping to finish her off. The Zuu flied straight towards her. Kildea screamed, but she then heard a strange noise, like a bolt of thunder. The Zuu screeched in agony and fell atop Kildea in a heap, dead. Kildea got back onto her feet, frantic to get away from the bird. She wondered just what had saved her. She then felt something grip her from behind and she yelped in surprise.

"It's alright! It's alright!" She heard a familiar voice. Her eyes widened and she turned to see Blaine looking right at her.

"Blaine! It's you!" She exclaimed, and hugged him. "Why did you run away from me like that?"

"I didn't want anyone to see me whilst I performed this ritual. I just wanted to look at you one last time before I did it." Blaine replied.

"Ritual?" Kildea repeated the word, unsure of what he was referring to. "Whatever do you mean?"

"My identity is known throughout Cleyra, and the King of Burmecia and some of the Dragon Knights know too." Blaine stated, looking rather anxious about something. "I don't want to do this...but I must."

"Blaine...what are you planning to do?" Kildea asked, sounding extremely nervous.

"Kildea...I will perform this ritual in front of you, but you must stand back and you must swear not to interfere, no matter what happens to me. Do you understand?" Blaine asked, deadly serious in his tone.

Kildea did not like the sounds of those words, and her ears dipped and she lowered her head. A solemn expression filled her face, but she had trusted Blaine whole-heartedly, even before he had revealed his eidolon form. She gave a nod, but stepped towards Blaine instead of backing away.

"Blaine...before you do this...can I just express my deepest gratitude. You've done so much for me and our race..." Kildea said, looking very concerned. "You've helped me do what I never would have dreamed of doing, encouraged me...I'll never forget these days..."

Blaine gave a warm smile after hearing those words. "I wouldn't expect you to forget them; memories are our greatest treasures..."

Kildea gave a slight smile, and she continued to come closer. "Blaine...I..." She had to summon up the courage to say the words... "I...love you..."

After saying those words, she leaned forward and kissed Blaine, on the lips, for a brief second. She ended the kiss as quickly as she had started it, and then walked away from him. The Cleyran Oracle followed her instructions and got away from Blaine, giving him the space to perform his ritual.

Blaine had been taken completely by surprise by Kildea's rather forward action. As Kildea moved away from him, he gave a sigh and closed his eyes.

_Oh Kildea...it pains me to do this...especially in your sight. If only you hadn't followed me..._

There was brief moment of silence, and then a sudden ripple of electricity visibly shot through Blaine. The oracle clutched his stomach, feeling pain and grunting through it. More electricity shot through him and the bolts of lightning leaping through his body were plainly visible. After more moments, Blaine fell to the ground and began to scream in agony.

Kildea was shocked to see this, but she had remembered her instructions. She could not interfere. Yet it was tearing her apart to watch Blaine suffering like this.

After more screaming, more lightning, Blaine's body began to flash a bright white. He gave a final agonising scream and Kildea had to shield her eyes from the flash. She looked out and saw that all that remained of Blaine were his blue robes.

Kildea could not believe her eyes, and she was frozen, still taking in what she had seen. He had destroyed himself!

Then, a movement could be seen in the pile of robes on the ground. A small, Burmecian head popped out of one of the sleeves. It was the head of a child. The child began to cry, and called out something in between sobs:

"Kil...dea..." The child wailed. "Kildea...help me..."

The Cleyan Oracle was cautious but walked up and held the newly formed child in her arms. She attempted to calm down the new child, holding it and sure enough, the child began to settle.

_Is this...Blaine? Is this what he does to keep his identity unknown? He destroyed his own body and created another for himself...? _Kildea asked herself, and she was right.

She picked up the "child" Blaine in her arms and began her return to Cleyra. Kildea was able to return to the settlement safety and a new life began for her and the Cleyran settlement. She took on herself to adopt the new incarnation of Burmece and live a fresh new life. This was the dawn of a new era in the history of the Burmecian Realm...


End file.
